Sen. Mark Warner: Republican calls to fire Mueller are 'reckless' and 'worrying'

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last updated 21 December 2017

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is pushing back against calls from a handful of Republicans to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller from the investigation into possible collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate Wednesday, Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, called such statements "reckless," "inappropriate," and "extremely worrying." They are also "at odds with the president's own lawyers who have pledged to cooperate with the special counsel. Beyond being irresponsible, the seemingly coordinated nature of these claims should alarm us all."

One of the Republicans calling for Mueller's removal is conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who, without citing any evidence, called the probe a "corrupt investigation." While Trump has said he has no plans to fire Mueller, Warner still warned him on Wednesday that any attempt to remove Mueller from his position "or to pardon key witnesses ... would be a gross abuse of power and a flagrant violation of executive branch responsibilities and authorities. These truly are red lines."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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