Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is warning President Trump not to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, after the president didn’t rule out that possibility Monday evening. The president expressed outrage about the FBI raid of the home and office of his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, which took place Monday.
Mr. Trump called the raid a “disgraceful situation” and “a total witch hunt.” Asked why he doesn’t just fire Mueller, Mr. Trump said Monday, “We’ll see what happens…”
But lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike, are telling him this would be a terrible idea.
“If the president is thinking of using this raid to fire special counsel Mueller or otherwise interfere in the Russia probe, we have one simple message for him: don’t even think about it,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor.
Republicans, too, agreed that any attempt by the president to end the Russia investigation by terminating Mueller would have dire consequences for his presidency.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, said he was confident Mr Trump wouldn’t fire him because it would be “the beginning of the end of his presidency.”
While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t think the time has come for legislation to protect Mueller, he told reporters Tuesday, “Mueller should be allowed to finish his job—I think that’s the view of most people in Congress.” He also doesn’t think Mr. Trump will try to remove him from office.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
