Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs after briefing members of the U.S. Senate on his investigation.

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Republican and Democratic senators are introducing a pair of bills aimed at making it more difficult for President Trump to fire the special counsel investigating him — another sign of growing willingness in Congress to push back against the president.



Sens. Thom Tillis and Chris Coons — both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee — introduced the Special Counsel Integrity Act on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Sens. Lindsey Graham, Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse and Richard Blumenthal introduced a similar bill — the Special Counsel Independence Protection Act — on Thursday as well.



The Tillis-Coons bill would allow for court review of any firing of any special counsel, and is similar to a provision in the independent counsel law that Congress let expire in the 1990s.

The Graham-Booker-Whitehouse-Blumenthal bill would go a step further, requiring the attorney general to go to court seeking approval before removing any special counsel.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel earlier this year to lead the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. As the investigation has continued and expanded, Trump has expressed anger over the broad direction and handling of the investigation, raising questions of whether he would — at some point — attempt to remove Mueller or otherwise push for his removal.


The Tillis-Coons bill is explicitly retroactive to May 17 (the day Mueller was appointed).