Republican New York Rep. Peter King said Sunday that it would not be a good move for the Trump administration if the president were to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Mueller’s investigation has come under intense criticism from allies of President Trump after several damning reports about Mueller’s investigators. Just last week, it was revealed that Mueller’s deputy, Andrew Weissmann, is not only a Democratic donor, but also attended Hillary Clinton’s election night party and praised a Justice Department official’s defiance of Trump. (RELATED: Mueller’s ‘Lieutenant’ Applauded Official For Defying Trump)
Rep. King told Fox News that while he understands criticism of the wide-ranging probe into Russian election interference, it would be misguided to fire Mueller.
“I think there have been mistakes in this investigation, but I think the worst thing the president could do right now is to remove Mueller, not cause he is doing such a great job, but cause the president’s lawyers are confident this is going in the right direction. I don’t want to give the Democrats, the media an opportunity to blow this up and come up with another phony issue,” the New York Republican said.
Rep. King is a part of the House Intelligence Committee and sat in on Donald Trump Jr.’s hearing this past week.
“Nobody listening to that interview can come out of that thinking there was any collusion at all,” King said. “I don’t want to give them a chance to talk about another Saturday Night Massacre, another special counsel to drag it on. If the president’s lawyers are confident it’s going in that direction, I think it’s better to go along with it right now and let it get wrapped up and over with.”
Other Trump allies, however, are not so confident.
“The president’s lawyers are sleepwalking their client into the abyss,” longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone told The Wall Street Journal. “They are entirely unrealistic about the enmity toward the president from the political establishment, and the established order.”
WATCH:
.@RepPeteKing: “I was at the interview with @DonaldJTrumpJr… Nobody listening to that interview can come out of that thinking there was any collusion at all.” #SundayFutures @MariaBartiromo pic.twitter.com/JCtjseVMIf
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 10, 2017