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Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he would “probably” move to once again block a vote on a bill that would protect special counsel Robert Mueller, who leading the investigation into Russian meddling in the US presidential election.



Senator Jeff Flake, a retiring Republican from Arizona, has vowed to vote against every judicial nominee until the legislation receives a vote. He is expected to join Democratic senators Cory Booker and Chris Coons in an attempt to force a vote on the bill on Wednesday.



Speaking to reporters at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, McConnell said the legislation was a “solution in search of problem”. Despite Trump’s persistent criticism of Mueller and the Russia investigation as a “witch hunt”, McConnell said he is confident the president will not fire the special counsel.



“We have a lot of things to do to try to finish up this year without taking votes on things that are completely irrelevant,” McConnell added.



Over the course of three tweets on Tuesday morning Trump called Mueller “conflicted prosecutor gone rogue”.



“The Fake News Media builds Bob Mueller up as a Saint, when in actuality he is the exact opposite. He is doing TREMENDOUS damage to our Criminal Justice System, where he is only looking at one side and not the other,” Trump wrote.

The Senate is expected to vote this week on the nomination of Thomas Farr to a seat on the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. All Democrats have announced their opposition to Farr and on Tuesday they railed against his nomination.