Nearly 80 Groups Urge Congressional Leaders to Strengthen Public Support for Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation
Dec. 21, 2017
Nearly 80 Groups Urge Congressional Leaders to Strengthen Public Support for Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nearly 80 national and state pro-democracy, civil rights, ethics, labor and advocacy groups are calling on congressional leaders to support Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and to ensure that Mueller be allowed to conclude his work unimpeded.
The groups’ letter to congressional leaders cites Donald Trump’s troubling public statements lashing out at the FBI saying the agency’s reputation for fairness is “in tatters” and that its standing is the “worst in history” after former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn’s recent indictment. Trump’s unsolicited and harsh rebukes, including when Trump called the investigation a “witch hunt,” are an attempt to undermine the credibility of Mueller’s investigation.
The organizations, who together represent tens of millions of Americans, are encouraging Congress to support the Mueller investigation and include the American Federation of Teachers, People For the American Way, Democracy 21, Every Voice, CenterLink, Common Defense, Church Women United in New York, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, MoveOn.org, NAACP, Public Citizen, and more than 65 other organizations.
The letter also cites important U.S. Senate legislation that has been introduced to protect the special counsel and his investigation. In August, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced bipartisan legislation (S.1735) that would require approval from a federal three-judge panel before a special counsel could be dismissed, and Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced a measure (S. 1741) that would bar the president from directly firing any special counsel – retroactive to Mueller’s appointment in May.
The letter concludes: “Congress must demonstrate strong bipartisan support of the independent investigation and underscore that no one is above the law.”
See a list of the groups here.
In recent weeks, Trump loyalists have attacked Robert Mueller’s integrity and investigatory approach. In response, nearly 145,000 Americans, a number that has tripled in the past week alone, in all 50 states have signed up at TrumpIsNotAboveTheLaw.org to turn out at more than 600 protest events if Mueller is fired or in the event of other serious attempts by the Trump administration to thwart this investigation. These numbers continue to grow and protests could occur within hours of any attempt by Donald Trump to fire or interfere with Mueller’s criminal investigation.
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