Flake hopes Republicans would stand up if Trump fires Robert Mueller

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said he hopes his Republican colleagues will stand up to President Donald Trump if he moves to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

“I hope so. I mean, talking to my colleagues all along, it was, you know, once he goes after Mueller, then we will take action,” Flake said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“I think that people see that as a massive red line that can’t be crossed. So, I hope that that’s the case.”

Flake said he hopes enough people would tell Trump to not “go there” now so Republicans will not have to deal with him crossing that line.

“We have confidence in Mueller. I certainly do,” Flake said.

“And I think my colleagues do as well. So, I hope that the pushback is now to keep the president from going there.”

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also addressed Mueller’s job status in a Twitter post on Sunday.

Special Counsel Mueller has served our country with honesty and integrity. It’s critical he be allowed to complete a thorough investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election — unimpeded.

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) March 18, 2018

Mueller is currently investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The possibility of Trump firing Mueller was raised after his lawyer, John Dowd, said in a statement that the Justice Department should “follow the brilliant and courageous example of…Jeff Sessions and bring an end to the alleged Russia collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss, James Comey.”

The statement was released shortly after Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe on Friday.

The president himself lashed out at Mueller on Twitter over the weekend, tweeting that “there was no collusion and there was no crime.”

The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018

Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added…does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018

Flake also again raised the possibility of a 2020 presidential run, saying that he hopes someone challenges Trump in the next election.

“There is a crying need out there for some Republicans to stand up and say this is not normal, this is not right,” Flake said.

“We want Republicans who will take higher ground, and to see what’s going on right now in terms of the chaos and these actions that clearly are not conservative on tariffs and whatnot. So, it’s not just the policies, but the behavior as well.

“People want to remember the Republican Party as the decent party. And it is not right now. And so what I’m seeing is, there’s a crying need for that. I don’t know who will step up in the end. I hope somebody does. I’m not ruling it out, but I certainly am — I think the odds are long that I would do it.”

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