Katie Pavlich: Schumer Only Wants To Protect Mueller for One Reason
Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich dismissed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats’ stated reason for avoiding a “constitutional crisis” by wanting to pass legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto the previous day he saw “no indication that Mueller’s going to be fired,” and therefore has no plans to take up such legislation on the Senate floor.
“I don’t think the president’s going to do that, and just as a practical matter, even if we passed (the bill), why would he sign it?” McConnell said.
Schumer responded to the GOP leader’s comments stating, “It’s a mistake not to pass legislation to protect the investigation. We ought to head off a constitutional crisis at the pass, rather than waiting until it’s too late.”
Pavlich was not buying Schumer’s alarmist language.
“Democrats aren’t interested in preventing a constitutional crisis, they’re interested in protecting their political talking point of Russia because that is really all they have at this point,” she said.
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said his committee will take up a bill designed to protect special counsels.
The legislation, drafted by both Republican and Democrat members on the committee, would codify regulations stipulating that only a senior Justice Department official can fire a special counsel.
Further, it would require an “expedited judicial review” within 10 days of the firing to determine if there had been “good cause.” If the review determines there was none, the special counsel would be reinstated.
“They got together, so I feel an obligation to keep my word and move forward,” Grassley said when asked if he would still give the bill a vote, The Hill reported.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is one of the members who introduced the legislation, said he will vote in committee for “institutional protections” for the office of special counsel.
“I leave it up to the majority leader how to run the floor,” Graham added when asked about whether his bill will see a full Senate vote.
The legislation will face a difficult road to passage if it is introduced.
First, the bill would need to garner 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. Then, it would need to pass the more conservative House of Representatives.
If it succeeded making it through Congress, as McConnell pointed out, President Donald Trump would almost certainly veto it, citing it as an unlawful usurpation of his executive authority.
The House and the Senate would then need to override the veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
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