Lindsey Graham Warns Trump Presidency ‘Would End’ With Mueller Firing
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has a stern message for President Donald Trump where Robert Mueller and his ongoing Russian meddling probe is concerned.
“It’s pretty clear to me that everybody in the White House knows it would be the end of President Trump’s presidency if he fired Mr. Mueller,” Graham said during a Sunday morning appearance on the ABC News This Week.
Graham’s fiery words were fueled by a New York Times report that claims Trump ordered Mueller fired last June, citing conflicts of interests the president argues makes him being impartial in his investigation virtually impossible.
Several media outlets have reported Trump only backed off in his demands after White House counsel Donald McGahn threatened to quit.
Graham first introduced legislation calling for Mueller to be protected from being fired last summer.
“I’ve got legislation protecting Mr. Mueller, and I’ll be glad to pass it tomorrow,” he said on Sunday.
Beyond insisting that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russian operatives, Trump continues to refer to the entire probe as a “witch hunt.”
Since the probe commenced, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to misleading FBI agents about conversations he had with foreign nationals. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates have also been indicted as part of the investigation on charges of money laundering.
Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has also pleaded guilty in connection with the probe, and is now reported to be working with investigators from Mueller’s team.
Still, just last week, during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Trump again referred to the probe as “fake news,” a counterattack Graham hinted on Sunday he thinks falls short of being sufficient to explain away all that’s been uncovered.
“We’re not going to say it’s fake news and move on,” he said Sunday on “This Week.”
Graham also reaffirmed his support for Mueller, who formerly served as FBI director from 2001 to 2013.
“As a matter of fact, I think Mr. Mueller is the perfect guy to get to the bottom of all this, and he will,” he said.
