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WASHINGTON – Sens. Jeff Flake (R., Arizona) and Chris Coons (D., Del.) Intend to request a vote in the Senate assembly on Wednesday on a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from dismissal , said collaborators.
The resignation of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General at the request of the President last week and the appointment of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker have prompted more Republican and Democrat Senators to pass a bill to protect the prosecution's prosecution. the special advocate on Russia's interference in the 2016 elections.
The bill was adopted by the Judiciary Committee in April, but has not yet been put to a vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell questioned the need for it.
Mr. Whitaker publicly criticized the Mueller probe before he arrived at the Department of Justice last year as Mr. Sessions' chief of staff. Democratic lawmakers have called for recuse from the control of the investigation that lasted 18 months. According to contributors, this is unlikely to happen this week, but the impact it may have on this and other surveys is still unclear.
Mueller did not publicly comment on the state of his investigation, but there are signs that he may be about to finish it. His team is negotiating with Trump's lawyers about how the president will answer the survey questions. The president denied any connivance with Russia, repeatedly calling the investigation a "witch hunt". Moscow denies interfering in the election.
To be passed, the measure protecting Mr. Mueller will require the support of the 100 senators, in accordance with the unanimous consent rule of the Senate, and that is unlikely to happen. Legislators and some lawyers have expressed concerns about the constitutionality of the bill.
Even if the bill got enough bipartisan support to be adopted by both houses of Congress, it would probably be subject to a presidential veto.
Democrats said that if the measure did not pass on Wednesday, it would become an exchange currency in compromises between the two parties in order to avoid a partial closure of the government on December 8, expiry date funding of certain government programs.
Written by two Democrats and two Republicans, the bill would include in the law a directive from the Ministry of Justice that a special advocate can not be dismissed without cause. In addition, this would give special advocates 10 days to challenge a dismissal in federal court. Special councils should also report to Congress at the end of their inquiries.
-Byron Tau contributed to this article.
Write to Natalie Andrews at [email protected]
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