Ryan after Trump attacks: Let Mueller do his job
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Sunday that President Trump should let special counsel Robert Mueller carry out his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
“As the Speaker has always said, Mr. Mueller and his team should be able to do their job,” AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan, said in a statement issued Sunday.
She did not comment on whether Congress should take up legislation to protect Mueller, CNN reported.
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Ryan joins a number of key Republicans that have warned Trump not to interfere with Mueller’s investigation.
On Sunday morning Trump attacked the makeup of Mueller’s team, arguing that it had a lot of Democrats but no Republicans.
Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added…does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018
The previous day he said the Mueller probe should never have started and characterized it as a “witch hunt.”
The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018
That same day, Trump’s personal lawyer said that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should end the Mueller investigation. He later said he was speaking in a personal capacity and not for the president.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he thinks Trump is moving closer to firing Mueller and that he expects Republicans to push back against any effort by Trump to end the investigation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) echoed Flake, saying that if Trump tried to fire Mueller, “that would be the beginning of the end of his presidency.”
Democrats have said Congress should act to protect Mueller. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Republicans must declare firing Mueller a “red line.”
Trump reportedly tried to fire Mueller last year but was stopped when the White House counsel said he would quit if Trump got rid of Mueller.
The White House has said they do not have plans to fire Mueller and are cooperating with his investigation.
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