Bill shielding Mueller from Trump unlikely soon in Senate
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell exhibited no interest Tuesday in considering legislation shielding the special counsel from Donald Trump, even as Republicans warn the president against interfering with Robert Mueller’s investigation.
McConnell’s remarks came as Trump has continued using Twitter to complain about the continued focus on “phoney Trump/Russia” connections, instead of on Hillary Clinton and Democrats. They also came a day after Mueller’s inquiry into Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential race yielded a guilty plea and two indictments of Trump campaign officials.
Two bipartisan bills were introduced months ago that would make it harder for a special counsel to be fired. After an initial flurry of support, the bills have stalled as Trump has softened his public criticism of Mueller.
“We’ve got plenty of things we have to do between now and the end of the year that will take up floor time,” McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday when asked if he’d bring the measures to the Senate floor if Trump impedes Mueller’s work.