UPDATED GOP Senators Pour Cold Water On Bannon Push To Defund Mueller Probe
Last edited Tue Oct 31, 2017, 05:19 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Talking Points Memo
By ALICE OLLSTEIN Published OCTOBER 31, 2017 3:50 PM
Three Republican senators told TPM on Tuesday that they oppose calls from former White House adviser Steve Bannon to defund Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and administration and the Russian government. Because Republicans only have a 52-seat majority in the Senate, those three would be enough to block such a bill from passage if it ever came to the Senate floor.
An amendment has already been introduced in the House that would completely defund Mueller’s work after six months, and limit the scope of what he can investigate, but several senators said they would vote against such a measure if it made its way to the upper chamber.
“I would oppose, and so would the American people,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Tuesday. “The American people want a complete and thorough investigation. That’s one thing I know.” Stepping into the Senate elevators, he repeated his usual metaphor for Mueller’s investigation and the crimes it may uncover going forward. “It’s a centipede,” he quipped. “More shoes are going to drop.”
McCain’s fellow Arizonan, Sen. Jeff Flake, agreed that Congress should not strip the special counsel of his funding: “I would not support it,” he said. ‘He needs to continue to investigate. I have confidence in Bob Mueller.”
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-senators-pour-cold-water-on-bannon-push-to-defund-mueller-probe
UPDATE
Senate Republicans pledge to let Mueller’s investigation proceed
By Karoun Demirjian and Sean Sullivan October 31 at 4:12 PM
Several GOP senators said Tuesday they will not support any efforts to cut the funding or otherwise curtail special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.
“My basic philosophy is, once you have an independent counsel, you ought to give him a chance to follow the facts,” said Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the chairman of the subcommittee that handles the Justice Department’s funding. “If somebody’s doing a job, you don’t want to cut it off.”
“I would not support that. He needs to continue to investigate,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who last week excoriated Trump’s governing style in a speech announcing plans to retire at the end of next year.
“I would oppose,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the president’s most vocal critics in Congress. “And so would the American people.”
Those voices and others reflect an emerging Republican message for dealing with the Mueller investigation: Stay away from it — and warn Trump to do the same.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-republicans-wont-support-efforts-to-cut-muellers-funding/2017/10/31/740318ba-be63-11e7-97d9-bdab5a0ab381_story.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
it always sounds to me like the politician saying it, from whatever side of the fence, is using us, as a front or something, an excuse to say something.... since a large percentage of 'us' have no interest..
I mean, how do politicians KNOW THE American people want to know? Which American people?
Not sure I expressed my thought very well, which is too often the case...
Are these people really that dumb? Yes! 
