Feinstein: ‘Congress won’t stand for’ Trump firing Mueller

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Friday that Congress “won’t stand for”  President Trump firing special counsel Robert Mueller following reports that Trump tried to have Mueller fired last summer. 

“It’s very unfortunate that this president doesn’t respect the law or the Constitution, and if he fires Bob Mueller, I expect Congress won’t stand for it and will take action,” Feinstein said in a statement. 

Trump reportedly backed down from firing Mueller when White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign over the matter, refusing to give Trump’s demand to the Justice Department. 

McGahn feared Trump firing the special counsel would raise concerns that Trump had obstructed justice during the investigation of possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign.

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Feinstein, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee that is holding a parallel probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, said that “nothing has changed” since she last noted that Trump did not have the authority to fire the special counsel.

Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the top Democrat on the committee, also said that firing Mueller would be a “red line that the president cannot cross,” calling any interference by Trump in the investigation a “gross abuse of power.”

The New York Times report confirmed rumors that Trump, who has consistently denied any collusion between his campaign and the Russians and pushed for an end to Mueller’s probe, wanted him removed.

But Trump denied the story Friday, calling it “fake news,” calling the report “typical New York Times.”

Sources confirmed The New York Times report to a number of other news outlets.