Senators move to shield head of Russia probe

A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation Thursday to prevent the president from wrongly firing special counsel. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Chris Coons, D-Del., drafted the bill with special counsel Robert Mueller in mind. Mueller is leading an investigation into Russia’s alleged election meddling and possible connections to the Trump campaign. President Donald Trump has criticized Mueller and expressed frustration with Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Justice Department’s Russia probe. If signed into law, the bill would allow a fired special counsel to appeal to a panel of three federal judges. The panel could automatically reinstate the individual if it could find no good cause for the dismissal. The bill would be retroactive to May 17, 2017, the day Mueller was appointed. Many Republicans have rushed to Mueller’s defense despite Trump’s criticism. But Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., said this week Mueller presents a conflict of interest because he is too close to former FBI Director James Comey. “Our constitutional order depends on a system of checks and balances, grounded in the fundamental premise that no one is above the law,” Coons said in a statement. “Ensuring that the special counsel cannot be removed improperly is critical to the integrity of his investigation.”