Mitch McConnell won't allow a vote on bipartisan legislation to protect Robert Mueller

Mitch McConnell shoots down legislation to protect Mueller
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Fox News)

On April 26, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on, and likely advance, a bipartisan bill that would give special counsels like Robert Mueller 10 days to appeal their firing to a panel of three federal judges, who would decide if the firing was for "good cause" and have the option to declare the move illegitimate. Two bipartisan groups of senators wrote different versions of the legislation in the fall, after President Trump hinted he might fire Mueller, and they blended the rival bills into one last week.

Even if the bill passes through committee, though, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Fox News on Tuesday he won't allow it to come up for a vote before the full Senate. "I am the one who decides what we take to the floor," McConnell told Neil Cavuto. "That's my responsibility as majority leader. And we will not be having this on the floor of the Senate." McConnell argued that the bill is "not necessary" because "there's no indication that Mueller's going to be fired ... and just as a practical matter, even if we passed it, why would [Trump] sign it?"

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.