Republicans block Flake and Coons' second attempt to protect Robert Mueller



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SUS Republicans blocked Wednesday a second attempt to swiftly pass a bill to protect special advocate Robert Mueller against President Trump's redundant dismissal.

Meaning. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Chris Coons, D-Del., And Cory Booker, D-N.J., Urged the Senate to accept their law by unanimous consent. They worry, as well as other senators, that Trump may be on the verge of firing Mueller while he is investigating his alleged links with Russia.

The bill would codify the current rules of the Department of Justice that a special advocate can not be removed without just cause.

But Senator Mike Lee, Utah, blocked the movement, as did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on November 14. Without unanimous consent, the Senate must go through a regular order, and McConnell made it clear that he would not do it. call the bill that way.

McConnell said Tuesday night that Republicans would block this effort by saying that there was no reason to believe that Trump was about to act on Mueller.

"The president is not going to dismiss Bob Mueller, I do not believe it either, nor do I think he's allowed to finish," McConnell said. "We have a lot of things to do to finish this year without taking votes on things that are absolutely irrelevant to the results."

But what the Republicans would do on Wednesday was not entirely clear, as Tuesday morning John Cornyn of Texas, a Senate majority whip, said on the Hugh Hughitt show that McConnell could allow the resolution to come to appease Flake, who refuses to support the appointments of judges in order to get a vote on the Mueller bill.

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary, led by the GOP, approved a bill last spring that would make it more difficult for Trump to fire Mueller by 14 votes to 7, with a two-party vote. Flake and others have insisted in recent weeks, especially after the overthrow of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which some fear will be a sign that Trump will soon target Mueller.

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, a known Trump ally, is now in charge of overseeing Mueller's investigation.

Despite the support of some GOP lawmakers, McConnell said the bill was unconstitutional.

On Wednesday, Coons told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that McConnell was working to protect Trump by blocking legislation.

"Frankly, I think President McConnell finally assured President McConnell that he would not act against Mueller, but these assurances are undermined every day when President Trump tweets two false critics against Robert Mueller and his loved ones." . investigation and does other things that are unexpected, unconventional or unwarranted, "said Coons.

Coons said that there was no plan in place to bind Mueller's bill to mandatory legislation, such as a spending bill that needs to be passed by Friday next to avoid to close the doors of the government.

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