Republicans Warn Trump to Back Off After Weekend of Tweets Threaten Mueller Investigation

By Brian Bell  |  March 19, 2018 | 3:24pm
Photo by Alex Edelman-Pool/Getty
Politics News Mueller Investigation
Republicans Warn Trump to Back Off After Weekend of Tweets Threaten Mueller Investigation

Months of calculated responses that carried a weight of neutrality went out the window over the weekend as President Trump took to Twitter to criticize the investigation into alleged collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. In his digital barrage, the president went so far as to call out special counsel Robert Mueller by name for the first time.

In a series of tweets, the president reiterated prior talking points used to discredit the investigation and lobbied new allegations at both former FBI director James Comey and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who was fired on Friday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions under direction from Trump. Citing the heavily criticized investigation by the House Intelligence Committee that found no evidence of collusion, Trump lashed out at the FBI, Justice and State departments with claims of “lying and corruption at the highest levels” for each. His focus swiftly turned toward the FBI specifically, claiming that Comey lied under oath to Senators and dismissing reports that McCabe kept detailed notes on his interactions with the president and Comey as “fake memos.”

Trump went on to comment on the Mueller investigation directly by claiming the team Mueller formed was unfairly biased against his administration because of its mostly Democratic roster.

What Trump seemed to have forgotten is that Mueller is himself a longtime Republican who previously served as FBI director under Republican president George W. Bush. He also stated his belief that Mueller’s investigation never should have been started as “it was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC.” The Steele dossier has long been a cornerstone of attacks against the Russia probe’s validity, but charges that it was the “essential” piece of evidence used to obtain permission to surveil the Trump campaign has been swiftly debunked. Not to mention the fact that the dossier was originally funded by the conservative website the Washington Free Beacon.

The president’s comments came after two other developments. First, that his personal attorney, John Dowd, stated on Saturday that the Justice department should end Mueller’s investigation. Second, news that Mueller had issued a subpoena to the Trump Organization last week requesting documents relating to Russia.

The onslaught of Sunday morning news shows allowed for a calculated response from Congressional Republicans as they warned the president to rethink his attacks on the investigation as it continues to move closer to home. “When it comes to Mr. Mueller, he is following the evidence where it takes him, and I think it’s very important he be allowed to do his job without interference, and there are many Republicans who share my view,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Some see the president’s blasts against the investigation as a renewed fervor for the possible firing of Mueller, which Trump threatened to do as far back as June 2017. Graham and other Republicans warned that Mueller’s termination would be seen as crossing a line. “If he tried to do that, that would be the beginning of the end of his presidency,” said Graham. Sen Jeff Flake, who joined Graham on “State of the Union” on Sunday, stated that people see firing Mueller “as a massive red line that can’t be crossed,” and Rep. Trey Gowdy stated that if the president was indeed as innocent as he claims to be then he should “act like it” during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” Gowdy added, “If you’ve nothing wrong, you should want the investigation to be as fulsome and thorough as possible.”

According to the New York Times, speaker of the House Paul Ryan also issued a statement warning Trump to rethink an effort to fire Mueller. “Mr. Mueller and his team should be able to do their job,” read Ryan’s statement. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chose not to comment.

It remains to be seen whether the president will pressure deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller, but Rosenstein stated last week that he sees no justification for the special counsel’s dismissal. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Trump sought to oust and replace Rosenstein at some point though. After all, the president saw fit to fire McCabe just over 24 hours before his retirement. After a move that heartless, it should come as no surprise that Trump would go to any lengths to get what he wants despite his party’s warnings and the shifting political tides in America.

 
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