Democratic senator says there will be a 'constitutional crisis' if Trump fires Mueller

President Trump and his White House staff insist he has no plans to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is heading up the probe into alleged Trump campaign collusion in Russian election meddling efforts. Polling has indicated most Republican voters oppose firing Mueller, and Trump's legal counsel reportedly advised him against even talking about a firing.

Still, if Trump did fire Mueller, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) argued Tuesday, the consequences would be dire. "I think it's not fair. I think it's not right. I think it's frankly cheap shots when some of these Republican colleagues would question Mueller's integrity," said Warner, who is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to CNBC. "And if you were to see a firing, I think you would see a constitutional crisis" as well as "political disaster" for Trump, he said.

"I mean, if this president allows this investigation to come to its conclusion and either bring charges or not, then I think the system will have worked as our founders intended," Warner added. The political fallout Trump would face following a suspect firing is considered by many observers to be effective job insurance for Mueller.

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