WASHINGTON, D.C. –  A bipartisan coalition of ethics experts, former administration officials, and scholars, including the ethics czars for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, today endorsed two separate bills introduced last month in the Senate that would protect special counsels from political interference.

In a public letter, the bipartisan group urged Senators to endorse the Special Counsel Independence Protection Act (SCIPA), introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and the Special Counsel Integrity Act, introduced by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Thom Tillis (R-NC). 

In addition to Richard Painter, the former ethics czar for President George W. Bush, and Norm Eisen, the former ethics czar for President Barack Obama, the letter was signed by more than a dozen ethics experts, former administration officials, and scholars.

“We strongly urge you to show your opposition to firing Special Counsel Mueller by endorsing one or both of the pending Senate bills that provide protection for Mr. Mueller from being removed as Special Counsel without basis for doing so,” the letter stated.

“This letter is a testament to the widespread support for our bills from both sides of the aisle,” Booker said. “Those who have served at the highest levels of government in both Republican and Democratic administrations understand the importance of protecting a special counsel from political interference. Our bill places a necessary judicial check on the powers of the President so that he or she cannot simply fire a special counsel at will.”

The Special Counsel Independence Protection Act (SCIPA) ensures that any action taken by the Attorney General or Acting Attorney General to remove a special counsel from office must first be reviewed by a panel of judges. The Special Counsel Integrity Act allows the special counsel to challenge their removal in court. That challenge would be heard by a panel of three federal judges.

Full text of the bipartisan letter is below:

Dear Senator,

We are writing to urge you to support the bipartisan efforts in the Senate to protect against the firing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the investigation he is leading into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

On August 3, 2017, Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced bipartisan legislation (S.1735) that would require approval from a federal three-judge panel before a special counsel could be dismissed.

On the same day, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced bipartisan legislation (S.1741) to allow a special counsel who was fired without cause to seek review and possible reinstatement from a panel of three federal judges.

While President Trump recently said he hadn’t given any thought to firing Special Counsel Mueller, the statement contradicted earlier statements made by people close to Trump that he was considering firing Mueller.

President Trump has called the Mueller investigation a “witch hunt” and has already fired FBI Director James Comey in order to get rid of the “great pressure” of the Russian investigation.

In the past, numerous Republican Senators and Representatives have expressed their opposition to President Donald Trump firing Special Counsel Mueller, and their support of Mr. Mueller as Special Counsel. This included statements of support from House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell.

The introductions of Graham-Booker and Tillis-Coons bills are congressional responses to the need to ensure that Mr. Mueller and the Special Counsel office are allowed to complete its work without any outside interference.

We strongly urge you to show your opposition to firing Special Counsel Mueller by endorsing one or both of the pending Senate bills that provide protection for Mr. Mueller from being removed as Special Counsel without basis for doing so.

Sincerely,

Richard Painter, former Ethics Czar for George W. Bush

Norm Eisen, former Ethics Czar for Barack Obama

Kathleen H. Hicks, former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Moira Whelan, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Michael Fuchs, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Max Boot, former senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign 2007–2008, defense policy adviser to Mitt Romney’s campaign 2011–2012, and head of the Counter-Terrorism Working Group for Marco Rubio’s campaign 2015-2016

Mike Breen, President and CEO, Truman National Security Project

Max Bergmann, Former member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff

James A. Thurber, Distinguished Professor of Government and Founder (1979) and Former Director (1979-2016) of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University

Richard M. Pious, Adolph and Effie Ochs Professor, Emeritus, Barnard College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University

Robert E. Mutch, independent scholar and historian

Major General Paul Eaton, US Army (ret)