Democrats are cheering the appointment of Robert Mueller to investigate supposed Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. But Rep. Jason Chaffetz vocalizes what a lot of people are wondering in the wake of Mueller’s appointment: what “actual crime” is the former FBI Director supposed to investigate?
For months, the New York Times, Washington Post, and other propaganda arms of the Democratic Party have alleged some form of collusion between Donald Trump and Moscow, but so far they have utterly failed to uncover any real evidence of such collusion. (By the way, these are the same hacks who mocked Mitt Romney in 2012 for asserting that Russia remained America’s #1 geopolitical foe. Strange how their tune has changed. Suddenly, the Democratic-Media establishment has become a pitchfork-carrying McCarthyite mob.)
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Wednesday broke with the broad bipartisan consensus supporting the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
“I have not seen any evidence of actual collusion. Where is the actual crime that they think they need a special prosecutor to prosecute?” he asked during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson. While President Trump has repeatedly denied collusion between his campaign and Moscow during the presidential election, those allegations are part of the broader investigation into Russia’s actions during the election.
Prior to the Department of Justice appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel, most Republicans held off from backing the need for a special appointment. However, on Wednesday night a growing number quickly endorsed the move as a path forward on investigating Russia’s election interference in the midst of an increasingly muddled investigation. Trump fired the man leading the investigation at the FBI, former director James Comey, last week. The president’s actions raised questions about the independence of the probe as well as additional allegations of interference by the White House.
“I don’t think they should have actually appointed somebody,” Chaffetz said on Fox News, while also praising Mueller’s credentials.
Chaffetz said that he was blindsided by the Justice Department’s decision to appoint a special counsel on Wednesday night.
“[I am] very surprised by it. No heads up, I don’t think the speaker’s office got a heads up … it caught us totally out of the blue,” he said.
