Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) remarked Wednesday that some senators have stopped paying attention to President Trump’s Twitter feed after the president’s latest missives blasting the special counsel probe.
“I mean seriously, on the tweets, is anybody even paying attention anymore? I mean there’s so many of them, they conflict each other so much. Nobody pays attention around here,” Corker told reporters outside a Senate GOP lunch.
Corker, a frequent Trump critic who is retiring after this year, noted that the president’s Twitter followers likely still pay attention to his tweets.
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Corker’s comment came after Trump said on Twitter earlier Wednesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should end special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the 2016 election and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow “right now.”
“..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!” Trump wrote in a tweet.
Though Trump has long blasted Mueller’s probe as a “witch hunt,” GOP senators have yet to say they would support forcibly ending the investigation even as it inches closer to the November midterm elections.
GOP senators said on Wednesday that they would like for Mueller to start wrapping up his probe but believe he should be able to continue doing his job.
“I don’t have any response on Trump’s tweet … but I do have something to say on the subject and that is: I’ve said for eight months just let Mueller do his job and he ought to get it done yesterday,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), in some of the strongest rhetoric from a GOP senator, called Trump’s tweet “inappropriate.” Corker, meanwhile, warned that there would be “chaos” if Trump had Mueller fired.
“I think the president understands that everything would come to stop and it would cause all kinds of other problems for him I think. So it would be a really foolish thing” to fire Mueller, Corker said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed legislation earlier this year that would codify that only a senior Justice Department official could fire Mueller and give him the ability to review his firing.
But that legislation faces entrenched opposition from GOP leadership who argue the bill isn’t needed because Mueller won’t be fired and the Trump would never sign the bill.
Corker added on Wednesday that if the bill was brought to the Senate floor he would support it, but added, “I doubt that it is, to be honest.”