{"id":63146,"date":"2018-04-16T05:24:45","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T05:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=63146"},"modified":"2018-04-16T05:24:45","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T05:24:45","slug":"partisan-tensions-rise-as-mueller-bill-delayed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/partisan-tensions-rise-as-mueller-bill-delayed.html","title":{"rendered":"Partisan tensions rise as Mueller bill delayed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Partisan tensions rise as Mueller bill delayed<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller is running into steep political headwinds even as President Trump is weighing cracking down on the Russia investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill got a boost of momentum when GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) said it would get a committee vote, but the legislation almost immediately got bogged down in partisan finger-pointing and entrenched skepticism among most Republicans.<\/span><\/p>\n

A blame game has broken out among Senate Judiciary Committee members about why the bill is being punted until days before the next recess. Grassley, in a whirlwind move, tried to get the panel to take up the bill late last week; instead, a vote isn\u2019t expected until April 26.<\/span><\/p>\n

The legislation would limit Trump\u2019s ability to fire Mueller and let him be reinstated if a court determines he wasn\u2019t fired for \u201cgood cause.\u201d In a sign of Republicans\u2019 anxiety that Trump could try to interfere with the Russia probe months before the midterm elections, a small but growing number of Republicans are signaling they are open to the idea of the bill.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Democrats are deeply worried that Republicans will try to weaken the bill or attach \u201cpoison pill\u201d amendments.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[I] urge the members of the Judiciary Committee to approve this legislation without watering it down or weakening it with amendments,\u201d said Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who isn\u2019t a member of the panel but weighed in on the looming fight from the Senate floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Democrats\u2019 concern centers on a forthcoming amendment from Grassley that, according to the GOP senator, would increase reporting to Congress about changes in the probe by Mueller, or any other special investigation, and require lawmakers to be notified if Trump was going to fire a special counsel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the amendment compromises or defeats the basic purpose of the bill [it\u2019s] a non-starter,\u201d said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the committee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats acknowledge they haven\u2019t seen the amendment, which is part of why they wouldn\u2019t sign off on putting the legislation on Thursday\u2019s agenda. But that hasn\u2019t stopped them from publicly fretting that the apparent boost of momentum could result in legislation that actually undermines the special counsel legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), noting that Congress shouldn\u2019t put \u201cpolitical pressure\u201d on Mueller\u2019s probe, added in her first statement about the bill that, \u201cI\u2019m worried about an amendment we haven\u2019t been able to review that could undermine the investigation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pressed by reporters about her concerns, Feinstein added, \u201cobviously it\u2019s in a sensitive subject area\u201d and Democrats wanted to see it before they vote. She declined to say if more congressional oversight would be a non-starter for Democrats, noting she hadn\u2019t yet seen the amendment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The apparent lack of trust comes as the Judiciary Committee has fractured over its handling of its own Russia investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats announced they were starting their own probe late last year when Republicans wanted to circle back to Obama-era scandals instead of potential collusion with Russia and the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.<\/span><\/p>\n

This time around, Democrats worry that Republicans could use the additional oversight to influence the probe or force Mueller to signpost his investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am concerned if it does anything to violate the separation of powers and the fact that the investigation should be allowed to continue and not have \u2026 Congress dictating what\u2019s happening,\u201d said Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.).<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans counter that Democrats are being paranoid and slowing down legislation that they have pushed for as Trump has repeatedly lashed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassley called concerns that he is trying to undermine the special counsel \u201ccompletely unfounded.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at a loss to see how a call for the administration to be more transparent about decisions involving the special counsel \u2026 would undermine the Mueller investigation. … This delay is uncalled for and unnecessary,\u201d Grassley said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) added, \u201cI do hope that my colleagues on the other side will take a serious look at the amendment that we\u2019re talking about; I think it makes sense. Part of it\u2019s just, you haven\u2019t seen it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tillis added that the forthcoming amendment also includes \u201cincreased transparency to address some of the concerns with some of the actions of some of the people in the Department of Justice that didn\u2019t seem appropriate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Republicans in the majority, if every GOP senator supports the amendment Democrats on the committee would not be able to stop it from being added to the legislation. That could force them to decide whether or not to vote against the overall bill \u2014 preventing it from going to the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the original co-sponsors of the bill, downplayed the stalemate and noted he was open to changing the legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re trying to work out an amendment \u2026 which I think is a good amendment,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see if they can do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Feinstein noted Democrats could let the bill get a vote on Thursday, but Grassley predicted that GOP opposition to the bill would delay it until April 26.<\/span><\/p>\n

The legislation doesn\u2019t face an easier path once it reaches the full Senate, much less the more conservative House, where Trump allies are publicly urging the president to fire top Justice Department officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

And while White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that the administration doesn\u2019t have an official position on the bill, senators expect it would need to ultimately get a two-thirds majority \u2014 enough to override a presidential veto.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a herculean task for GOP leadership, who have shown no inclination to bring up the legislation, much less stage Trump\u2019s first veto override going into a midterm election where they are increasingly anxious about holding on to their majorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassley\u2019s decision to give the bill a committee vote appeared to catch GOP leadership off guard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrankly, there hadn\u2019t been a lot of communication from the committee or anybody else about what\u2019s going on,\u201d said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).<\/span><\/p>\n

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that \u201cmost members of Congress\u201d believe Mueller should be able to continue his investigation, but he still has not seen a \u201cclear indication\u201d that they need to pass legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) suggested he thought a supermajority in Congress would vote to let that happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a two-thirds majority at least in both bodies, perhaps a three-quarters majority, who want this investigation to be completed,\u201d he said on ABC\u2019s \u201cThe View.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The fate of the Russia investigation has rattled Washington as Trump has publicly blasted \u2014 and reportedly privately mused about firing \u2014 Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the probe, after the FBI raided the office of his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.<\/span><\/p>\n

But many GOP senators say they remain convinced, at least publicly, that Trump will not try to fire Mueller.<\/span><\/p>\n

GOP Sen. John Kennedy (La.) said Trump is \u201csmart enough\u201d to know that getting rid of the special counsel will \u201cprovoke a reaction from Congress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just think all this is premature and academic,\u201d he said. \u201cThe president likes to manage out loud. … He clearly grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-http:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/383120-partisan-tensions-rise-as-mueller-bill-delayed<\/span><\/p>\n

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