Here is a whole column on that quote:
A GOP senator’s remarkable admission about Trump and Mueller
by Greg Sargent March 21 at 10:13 AM
President Trump just uncorked a new round of Twitter attacks this morning on special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and on the English language, quoting one of his staunchest legal allies as follows: “I think President Trump was right when he said there never should have been a Special Council appointed because there was no probable cause for believing that there was any crime, collusion or otherwise, or obstruction of justice!”
Yet Republicans appear increasingly dug into their position. Their stance is that of course Mueller should be allowed to finish his investigation, but they will not act legislatively to protect the probe, because this is not at all necessary, as Trump would never dream of taking action against it, since he would face severe consequences that Republicans will not enunciate in advance.
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But a Republican lawmaker has just given away the real game behind this carefully crafted straddle. Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) was pressed by the Washington Examiner on why Republicans are hesitant to protect Mueller, and this is what happened:
Republicans in Congress are hesitant to antagonize President Trump ahead of ahead of difficult midterm elections, wary of sparking a backlash from a committed grassroots base more loyal to the White House.
Amid sky-high Democratic enthusiasm and a developing “blue wave,” Republicans can’t afford a war with Trump that depresses GOP turnout. Republicans might be worried about Trump’s attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller, but they are reluctant to push back, much less support legislation to curtail the president’s ability to fire Mueller and sideline the federal probe …
“The president is, as you know — you’ve seen his numbers among the Republican base — it’s very strong. It’s more than strong, it’s tribal in nature,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who decided to retire when his second term concludes at year’s end, after periodically sparring with Trump.*
“People who tell me, who are out on trail, say, look, people don’t ask about issues anymore. They don’t care about issues. They want to know if you’re with Trump or not,” Corker added.
This is a candid glimpse from a leading GOP lawmaker into what’s really driving the Republican straddle on Mueller. As I’ve noted, Trump’s attacks on Mueller are putting Republicans in a tough spot. The educated swing voters who are driving the Democratic anti-Trump resurgence support the Mueller probe and may vote to oust Republicans who won’t check Trump’s excesses. But Trump’s attacks probably rally GOP base voters, large percentages of whom see the Mueller probe as a witch hunt, making it harder for GOP lawmakers to protect that investigation.
Corker just conceded that this is the driving motive. He suggested that GOP voters equate being “with Trump” in a “tribal” sense with not acting to protect Mueller. Republicans are mindful of this as they craft their position toward Mueller, which includes rhetorical support for the probe but no new substantive limits on Trump’s power to do what they say they don’t want him to do.
After all, some Republicans have already sponsored bills that would protect Mueller from Trump, by creating a process under which any removal of the special counsel would be subjected to judicial review and reversed if it were not for good cause. But these bills are stalled, and Republicans have no intention of changing that.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) yesterday voiced strong support for the Mueller probe. But he again said there’s no reason to act to protect it. And Republican leaders privately rebuffed yet another push by Democrats on this front.
I’m told by Democratic aides familiar with the negotiations over the omnibus spending package that Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi asked GOP leaders to insert a provision that would have protected Mueller from action by Trump, aides familiar with the talks say. But Republican leaders rebuffed the request. (Politico also reported this.) I could not ascertain whether GOP leaders gave a reason for doing so. A GOP aide countered that this was never part of the talks.
At bottom, the GOP position is basically to beg Trump not to bring the issue to a head, without taking any action to prevent it — and without signaling what Republicans will do in response if he does. Making this worse, University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck points out that if Congress does not act in advance, reinstating Mueller might actually prove legally harder than it would be to protect the investigation now. As Brian Beutler puts it: “Republicans pleading with Trump not to fire Mueller are more properly understood to be asking him not to put them in the position of having to capitulate.”
Corker has basically conceded that Republicans believe it would alienate the GOP base to signal that removing Mueller would meet with specific consequences. But if this is the case, and Trump does try to shut down or hamstring the probe, that would only further rally Republican voters behind him. Why would it be any easier to inflict consequences at that point? If, as Corker says, what matters most in this calculus is what GOP voters think of lawmakers’ tribal loyalty to Trump, it would only get harder. And really, why would Trump take any other lesson from what he’s seeing right now?
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* Update: Senator Corker actually announced his retirement in September, before his big public battles with Trump. Also, Corker has publicly called for legislative action to protect Mueller, predicting “total upheaval in the Senate” if Trump tries to remove him.
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* REPUBLICANS SPEND BIG AT TRUMP PROPERTIES: The Post reports that the Republican National Committee spent $271,000 at Trump’s private businesses in February. And this is part of a broad pattern:
Since his election, Trump’s private properties have attracted steady business from the RNC, party committees, congressional campaigns and outside groups, which spend anywhere from about $300 to over $160,000 per event, an analysis by The Washington Post shows. Dozens of Republican lawmakers and candidates have spent campaign or PAC money at the president’s properties since his election, The Post found.
It’s worth noting that in so doing, Republicans are rewarding Trump for his refusal to divest from his businesses as president.
more at washingtonpost.com |
