Rubio: Trump firing Mueller would be a ‘mistake’

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday it would be “a mistake” for President Trump to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the federal probe into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Rubio, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters when asked about the topic that “it would be a mistake to fire Bob Mueller.”

The GOP senator also praised the former longtime FBI director as being “a highly credible individual who will do a good job,” according to a transcript of his comments from Rubio’s office.

Rubio just now: “it would be a mistake to fire Bob Mueller. He’s a highly-credible individual who would do a good job.”

— Scott Detrow (@scottdetrow) July 20, 2017

Marco Rubio says in response to a reporter’s question that it would be a “mistake” to fire Bob Mueller as special counsel

— Rebecca Shabad (@RebeccaShabad) July 20, 2017

{mosads}

Trump told the The New York Times that Mueller would be crossing the line and going beyond the scope of his Russia probe if he began looking into his or his family’s business dealings.

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Mueller is expanding his investigation to include Trump’s business transactions as well as those of campaign associates.

Mueller was appointed special counsel after former FBI Director James Comey leaked memos detailing a meeting where he said the president asked him to let go of the investigation into his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Last month, a member of the president’s legal team left open the possibility that Trump could fire the special counsel if he thought the probe was not being conducted properly.

Critics say such a move would further fuel allegations that the president has tried to obstruct the ongoing Russia probes.

“The president has authority to take action,” Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law & Justice told ABC News at the time. “Whether he would do it is ultimately a decision the president makes.”