{"id":901,"date":"2018-04-11T09:51:07","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T13:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=901"},"modified":"2018-04-11T09:51:07","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T13:51:07","slug":"the-white-house-says-trump-can-fire-mueller-that-should-give-republicans-heartburn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=901","title":{"rendered":"The White House says Trump can fire Mueller. That should give Republicans heartburn."},"content":{"rendered":"
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By\u00a0<\/span>Jennifer Rubin<\/a><\/span>\u00a0April 11\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Right Turn<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/i>\u00a0Opinion<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III after briefing members of the Senate on his investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign on Capitol Hill in June. (Joshua Roberts\/Reuters)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Post reports<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cDuring Tuesday\u2019s White House briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was given an opportunity to talk about firing\u00a0[special counsel Robert S. Mueller III]. But rather than play down the prospect, she answered the question and asserted that [President] Trump could, in fact, fire Mueller if he wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her answer should create heartburn for Republicans in Congress who insist that there is no real risk Trump will dismiss Mueller, and therefore no need for lawmakers to act to restrain Trump. That excuse is\u00a0wearing thin.<\/p>\n

Even more frightening,\u00a0the New York Times reports<\/a>\u00a0that Trump considered firing Mueller\u00a0at least twice \u2014 once in June and again in December. (Interestingly, his ire was reportedly triggered by a report that Mueller had subpoenaed records from Deutsche Bank. Trump seems particularly concerned whenever Mueller veers close to his financial affairs.)<\/p>\n

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Moreover, Sanders\u2019s formulation is not consistent with what many members of Congress and outside legal experts have concluded. \u201cUnder the current regulations, he does not have the ability to personally fire Mueller, but the White House is right that if Trump wants to remove him, he eventually can,\u201d former Justice Department public affairs director Matt Miller tells me. \u201cBut he will have to burn down the Justice Department to do it, and one hopes such a hostile act to the rule of law would bring about the end of his presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n