WASHINGTON -- Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) is one of dozens of lawmakers pushing legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller and his work, despite major hurdles that stand in the way of any such measure becoming law.
- Flurry of measures aimed to protect special counsel
- Bills also aim to shield the investigation
- Trump calls probe a waste of millions of dollars
“It’s absolutely vital and is something that needs to happen in this Congress,” Doggett said. “I know that there are members of the Senate that are working on this. We haven’t seen such interest from Republicans on the House side who have enabled Trump for so long.”
Doggett authored a bill that would allow Mueller to report his findings to Congress even if he is dismissed by President Trump, leaving no restrictions on what he can disclose. The legislation would allow lawmakers to access the taxpayer-funded investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“Trump is looking for every way he can to disparage and undermine this investigation just at the time it may be coming out with its indictments and reports,” Doggett said.
Trump, on Friday, said that he “just finished” answering the written questions posed by Mueller as part of the probe. However he made sure to add he has not submitted them yet.
Trump is receiving blowback from both Democrats and Republicans for the appointment of one of his allies, Matthew Whitaker, as acting attorney general -- who will now oversee the Russia investigation. Since he made that appointment after firing Jeff Sessions, there have been growing calls for legislation to keep the investigation from getting shut down.
“This would protect the record of everything taxpayers have paid for him to investigate so that is not destroyed or interfered with by the administration and this political hack as he named as attorney general,” Doggett said.
The House bill is unlikely to pass, with 120 co-sponsors and only a single Republican backing it. Another reality, even if his bill somehow secures enough bipartisan support and gets the votes it needs in both chambers, it would face a likely presidential veto.
A bipartisan group of senators is attempting to add a protect-Mueller provision to the spending bill that must pass in the coming weeks to avoid a partial government shutdown. At this point, that avenue is proving unsuccessful with leadership planning to block it on the Senate floor.
The Senate measure would also require the special counsel to report to Congress once the Russia investigation is complete. Republicans remain concerned about its constitutionality, although many express a desire for Mueller to finish his report without political inference.
Trump has repeatedly called the probe a “witch hunt,” and claims there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. Trump reiterated Friday his claim that it has “wasted millions and millions of dollars.”