Then-FBI Director Robert Mueller on deck of the USS Frank Cable during a 2009 visit.
Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Sippel/ U.S Navy
In the wake of reporting that President Donald Trump had considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick signed his name to sponsor legislation that would add provisions to protect special counsel appointed at the federal level.
Democratic Congressman Peter Welch of Vermont and Republican Fitzpatrick, a former FBI special agent, are both cosponsors of the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, which was introduced Friday, according to the congressional record.
The bill sets out ground rules on how and when a special counsel can be fired. According to the legislation, a special counsel “may be removed only for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of policies of the Department of Justice.”
The legislation, which would be retroactive to January 2017, also proposes a system to allow challenges of the removal to be filed and reviewed by a panel of judges.
A special counsel can be appointed by the U.S. Attorney General or other top officials at the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate issues that could present a conflict of interest for the department or are of public interest.
A companion piece of legislation has been introduced in the Senate, but Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it will not move forward.
In the House of Representatives, the Fitzpatrick-backed bill could also face problems. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said in a weekend interview that aired during NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he did not think the legislation was needed.
“First of all, I don’t think [Mueller] should be fired,” Ryan said. “I think he should be left to do his job, and I don’t think they’re really contemplating this. We’ve had plenty of conversations about this. It’s not in the president’s interest to do that. We have a rule of law system. No one is above that rule of law system.”
Fitzpatrick, who has spoken in support of the FBI and federal law enforcement, has stated in the past that he supports Mueller, who was FBI director when the congressman was a special agent.
“The special counsel must see his investigation through to the end. As I’ve said before: At the FBI, all of my colleagues – regardless of our role – put the pursuit of the truth and the defense of our nation above all else. Our mission was to follow the facts wherever they lead, and to report those facts with unimpeachable integrity. Congress should follow that lead,” Fitzpatrick said.
There has been concern among Republican and Democratic lawmakers that Trump would seek to fire Mueller due to his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and matters that may arise directly from the probe has zeroed in on people surrounding the president.
Mueller’s investigation has already led to federal charges being filed against 22 individuals and corporations, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, the campaign manager’s top deputy Rich Gates, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos.
“Many people have said you should fire him … we’ll see what happens. I think this is disgraceful and so do a lot of other people. This is a pure and simple witch hunt,” Trump told reporters last week, according to a White House press pool dispatch.
