Dem senator: Mueller must be protected from ‘another Saturday Night Massacre’

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) warned Friday that Congress must protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Trump, or risk “another Saturday Night Massacre.”

“We proposed legislation that would stop [Trump] from firing the special counsel, and it would shield the special counsel from any sort of political interference, which now seems increasingly threatening,” Blumenthal said on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes.”

“It is a shattering moment for the Trump presidency,” he continued. “Comparing it to Watergate – there’s a real danger of another Saturday Night Massacre.”

{mosads}

The “Saturday Night Massacre” occurred in 1973 when then-President Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor in charge of the Watergate investigation, which also triggered the resignation of the attorney general and deputy attorney general.

Blumenthal said the Senate should “send a signal” and pass a bill to protect Mueller to ensure Trump is “discouraged or deterred from endangering our democracy.”

Blumenthal’s remarks come after Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russian officials.

As part of his plea deal, Flynn has agreed to fully cooperate with Mueller’s investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

ABC News reported Friday that Flynn is expected to testify that Trump “directed him to make contact with the Russians” during the presidential transition.

Flynn is also reportedly prepared to testify against members of Trump’s family and White House officials.

He becomes the first person to hold a formal position in the Trump administration to be charged in the probe.

Multiple bipartisan bills have been introduced in the Senate to protect Mueller from being fired by Trump, but none have come to the floor for a vote.

The White House has repeatedly denied that Trump is considering firing Mueller.