Cruz warns Mueller against abusing power in Russia probe

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday to keep his investigation focused on Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election and avoid turning it into a “fishing expedition.”

“Bob Mueller is a good and honorable man, but I certainly hope that the appointment of a special counsel doesn’t turn into a fishing expedition,” Cruz said during a stop in Arlington, Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.

“There’s a reason that special counsels and independent counsels have gone adrift in the past. It’s because they allowed their mandate to encompass everything in a massive fishing expedition. That would be an abuse of the terms of the appointment, so I hope that’s not happening.”

{mosads}Cruz’s warning follows a Washington Post report on Wednesday that Mueller had expanded his investigation into Russian efforts to meddle in the election to include a probe into whether President Trump attempted to obstruct federal investigations.

Mueller was tapped last month to lead the Justice Department’s Russia investigation after Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey.

Mueller’s appointment was widely praised by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who hailed the former FBI director as a model law enforcement official with experience in both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations.

But some Republicans have begun to cast doubt on Mueller as the scope of his investigation widens, saying that his friendship with Comey and his decision to hire prosecutors who have donated to Democratic political campaigns could compromise his probe.