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SALT LAKE CITY — The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday that would shield special counsel Robert Mueller from any attempt by President Donald Trump to fire him.
Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee were among the Republicans who voted against the legislation, which the panel passed 14-7. Four Republicans joined the Democrats in favor.
Hatch reiterated that though the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election should continue, the bill is unconstitutional.
"Firing Mueller would cause a firestorm and bring the administration’s agenda to a halt. It could even result in impeachment," Hatch told the committee.
Hatch said Congress is right to send a strong message to Trump that he should not fire Mueller and that he has joined his colleagues in a resolution saying that.
"But in seeking to protect Mueller, and to impress upon the president the crucial importance of allowing the investigation to run its course, it’s important that we not overstep our constitutional authority," he said.
Lee, who also favors Mueller finishing the investigation, argued against the bill in the committee hearing. He said any attempt to restrict the authority vested in the president is unconstitutional.
"If you truly are supervising someone, you have the power to stop them, you have the ability to remove them from the position they occupy if they exercise that power wrongly," he said.
