Campaign Action
Amid speculation about whether and when Donald Trump would fire special counsel Robert Mueller, Sen. Cory Booker tweeted a reminder that Congress can do something about that concern. Booker is a co-sponsor of one of two bills intended to protect Mueller’s independence:
One, co-sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee members Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE), would allow Justice Department special counsels to challenge their removals in court. A three-panel judge would then get to adjudicate the challenge — meaning Trump could be overruled should he try to fire the special counsel. Their Special Counsel Integrity Act would also mandate that only a Senate-confirmed attorney general can remove a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department.
The other bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would similarly ensure that special counsels can only be removed by Senate-confirmed attorney generals. It would also mandate that a special counsel can only be removed if a panel of three judges on a federal circuit determines that the counsel finds “misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of policies of the Department of Justice.”
So, to the small number of Republicans who’ve responded to the Paul Manafort and Rick Gates indictments by emphasizing the importance of Mueller remaining independent, here’s something you can do. Introduce a similar bill in the House. Sponsor an existing bill. Push your leadership to embrace this.