WASHINGTON – Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to stop legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Donald Trump, even after Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, held open the possibility of bringing it up for a vote earlier Tuesday.

McConnell told reporters Tuesday afternoon that if senators attempted to bring up the bill for expedited consideration, he would reject it – a move he has already done once this month.

“This is a solution in search of a problem, the president is not going to fire Robert Mueller," McConnell said. "We have a lot of things to do to finish up this year without taking votes on things that are completely irrelevant to outcomes.”

“I probably would” block the bill if senators tried to put it up for a vote Wednesday, McConnell said.

Earlier in the day, Cornyn signaled a potential change in the position of Republican leaders who have previously rejected a push by outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake to allow a vote on the Mueller legislation on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt's radio show.

Flake has threatened to oppose Trump's judicial nominees unless the Senate holds a vote on the Mueller bill. That could set up a hurdle for the nominees since the Arizona Republican senator sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee where Republicans have a narrow 11-10 majority.

“We’ve got some judges on the calendar now that we can pass even if we don’t have Senator Flake’s support. But we can’t get them out of the Judiciary Committee, so we’re going to be working with Senator Flake to see what he needs in order to lift his hold,” Cornyn said. “There is a possibility we will have a vote on the Mueller, so-called Mueller protection bill.”

In April, the Judiciary Committee voted through bipartisan legislation that would protect Mueller from being fired, 14-7. But McConnell has refused to bring up the bill.

Flake and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., requested an expedited vote on the legislation one week later, but that was rejected by McConnell. That act prompted Flake to threaten to torpedo judicial nominations, one of McConnell's top priorities for the GOP-controlled Senate.

Even if the bill did come up, it is unclear if there would be enough votes for it to pass.

Flake is a rarity among Senate Republicans in that he has frequently criticized Trump. He is retiring at the end of this year. Flake's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Contributing: Bart Jansen