Congressional Republicans on Tuesday warned President Trump not to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, fearing it could be the first step in an attempt to kill the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.
Republicans have tried mightily to ignore Trump's politically-charged tweets and the rest of the drama coming from the White House, leaving the Russia probe, which could implicate the president or his campaign, to their colleagues on the House and Senate intelligence committees that are running parallel inquiries.
But they made an exception for Sessions, their former colleague, admonishing the White House that relieving the attorney general and moving to dismiss special counsel Robert Mueller and quash his investigation could force them off the sidelines and spark a confrontation with Congress they would rather avoid.
"All hell would break loose," Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
"If he fired Mueller, that would be a problem. It wouldn't pass the smell test," added a second House Republican, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly. "The American people would demand we do something."
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01.19.2025