It’s a start. The Senate Judiciary Committee has just opted to sponsor a new bill designed to protect special counsel Robert Mueller III from being fired without a just cause. This comes as a sharp rebuke to the rhetoric of President Trump, who has publicly stated his desire to fire Mueller multiple times. The Wall Street Journal reports, that this “move marks first major congressional action designed to protect [the] probe of Russian election meddling.”
Mueller protection effort gaining steam: Sens. Tillis, Graham, Booker and Coons announce merged bipartisan bill to insulate special counsel.
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) April 11, 2018
According to the bill, entitled the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, “a special counsel or other appointed official may be removed only for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of policies of the Department of Justice.”
NEW: Sens. Tillis & Coons have merged their special counsel protections bill with Sens. Graham & Booker’s proposal to make “one unified, bipartisan bill.” Here’s what the Special Counsel Independence & Integrity Act does: pic.twitter.com/nZEebeoMeX
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaReports) April 11, 2018
GOP Senator Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, has been pushing for protections for Mueller. Although Grassley admitted that he was still not sure about whether or not he will support the new bill, he is hoping that the committee will hold a vote on it.