Over 200 Republicans didn’t sign a letter that started to circulate in August asking for congressional oversight over Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe into alleged Russian election interference.
Mueller’s investigation has led to charges against three former Trump campaign aides. Longtime Trump political adviser Roger Stone told The Daily Caller that Mueller “intends to levy phony charges” against President Trump, but the White House maintains that the president has no intentions to fire the special counsel.
Taking matters into their own hands, three House Republicans introduced a resolution Friday calling for Mueller to step down. Just one of these congressmen, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, signed a letter sent out in October that asked for oversight over the special counsel.
Republican Texas Rep. Brian Babin in August started asking House Republicans to co-sign a letter that ended up being sent to House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte and Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley. Nineteen Republicans including Babin signed on to the letter. There are 239 Republican representatives in Congress.
Babin’s letter stated: “This team has sweeping authority and an open-ended mission, yet they are allowed to operate largely in secret, selected by and ultimately accountable to only one person: Mr. Mueller himself.”
“With numerous reports emerging almost every day on possible conflicts of interest and allegations of political bias, it would be in the interest of both the public and the Special Counsel team to speak to the American people through their elected representatives in Congress,” the letter continued. “Accordingly, we respectfully request that one or both of the Judiciary Committees immediately convene a public and open hearing or series of hearings to bring Mr. Mueller and his team out of the shadows and into the public square.”
A spokeswoman for Rep. Goodlatte said the congressman has “no comment” regarding the letter, and a spokesman for Sen. Grassley did not respond to a press inquiry.
Letter to Grassley-goodlatte Re Special Counsel Accountability by Alex Pfeiffer on Scribd