Ryan: Mueller, DOJ professionals ‘should be left to do their jobs’

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a new interview that special counsel Robert Mueller and other Justice Department (DOJ) officials investigating Russia’s election meddling and possible collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Moscow “should be left to do their jobs.”

“I obviously don’t think he should do that,” Ryan told CBS News early Thursday when asked about Trump potentially firing Mueller. “He knows what I think about that. And I think Bob Mueller and the career professionals at the DOJ should be left to do their jobs.”

{mosads}Ryan’s comments come amid a media blitz following his announcement that he will retire from Congress at the end of his current term. 

The New York Times on Tuesday said Trump pushed to fire Mueller in December following news reports that the special counsel subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for records on the president’s finances. 

Trump slammed the Times report in a tweet early Thursday, saying had he wanted to fire the special counsel, he would have done so.

“If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him,” the president said. “Just more Fake News from a biased newspaper!”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on the same day as the Times report that the president believes he has the power to fire Mueller, an action both Democrats and Republicans have cautioned the president not to take.

Republican lawmakers in recent days have shown an increased enthusiasm to pass legislation to protect Mueller, but Ryan told CBS he doesn’t believe a bill to guard Mueller is “necessary.”