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Democrats fear Grassley's amendment to special counsel bill will let GOP tip off Trump about Mueller
Source: Washington Post
Democrats fear Grassley’s amendment to special counsel bill will let GOP tip off Trump about Mueller’s probe
By Karoun Demirjian April 24 at 6:58 PM
Democrats are warning that the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman’s proposed changes to a bill to protect special counsels from undue firing would give the GOP the ability to tip off President Trump about developments in Robert S. Mueller III’s probe of him — the latest flash point on the legislation’s rocky road to a committee vote, expected Thursday.
Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has been circulating a draft of his amendment, which he plans to offer Thursday as a stand-in for the special-counsel protection bill that Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) unveiled two weeks ago after months of negotiations.
Grassley characterized the amendment as an improvement to the legislation, which has raised constitutional separation-of-powers concerns because it potentially subjects the president’s decision to fire a special counsel to a review by a panel of three federal judges. The amendment adds reporting requirements to Congress that Grassley believes would equip lawmakers to act to protect a special counsel — potentially by even starting impeachment proceedings — if the courts strike down the constitutionally controversial parts of the legislation.
But Democrats see a potential Trojan horse in those reporting requirements, which require special counsels such as Mueller to inform the House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders “if there is any change made to the specific nature or scope of the investigation of the Special Counsel,” within 30 days of making that change.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, told reporters Tuesday that if the amendment is adopted as written in the draft, she would oppose the special counsel bill, her office confirmed.
-snip-
By Karoun Demirjian April 24 at 6:58 PM
Democrats are warning that the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman’s proposed changes to a bill to protect special counsels from undue firing would give the GOP the ability to tip off President Trump about developments in Robert S. Mueller III’s probe of him — the latest flash point on the legislation’s rocky road to a committee vote, expected Thursday.
Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has been circulating a draft of his amendment, which he plans to offer Thursday as a stand-in for the special-counsel protection bill that Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) unveiled two weeks ago after months of negotiations.
Grassley characterized the amendment as an improvement to the legislation, which has raised constitutional separation-of-powers concerns because it potentially subjects the president’s decision to fire a special counsel to a review by a panel of three federal judges. The amendment adds reporting requirements to Congress that Grassley believes would equip lawmakers to act to protect a special counsel — potentially by even starting impeachment proceedings — if the courts strike down the constitutionally controversial parts of the legislation.
But Democrats see a potential Trojan horse in those reporting requirements, which require special counsels such as Mueller to inform the House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders “if there is any change made to the specific nature or scope of the investigation of the Special Counsel,” within 30 days of making that change.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, told reporters Tuesday that if the amendment is adopted as written in the draft, she would oppose the special counsel bill, her office confirmed.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-fear-grassley-special-counsel-bill-amendment-will-let-gop-tip-off-trump-about-muellers-probe/2018/04/24/934ebd64-47f2-11e8-9072-f6d4bc32f223_story.html