A group of conservative Republicans lawmakers has taken the Russian collusion counter-narrative embraced by Donald Trump and run with it, turning the conspiracy theory born out of the far-right fringe into a clarion call for congressional action. On Wednesday, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz took the House floor to emphatically call for the resignation of Robert Mueller, arguing that the former F.B.I. director has “indisputable conflicts of interest” that prevent him from objectively leading the rapidly escalating Justice Department investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government.
“We are at risk of a coup d’état in this country if we allow an unaccountable person with no oversight to undermine the duly elected president of the United States,” Gaetz said, according to The Hill. “That is precisely what is happening right now with the indisputable conflicts of interest that are present with Mr. Mueller and others at the Department of Justice.” In his appeal on Wednesday, Gaetz sought to highlight the resolution he co-sponsored with Congressmen Louie Gohmert of Texas and Andy Biggs of Arizona and introduced to the House last week, which claims that Mueller’s neutrality in the ongoing Trump-Russia investigation is compromised because he was the head of the F.B.I. when the Obama administration approved the Uranium One deal.
For weeks the White House, conservative pundits, and some Republicans have sought to cast the 2010 sale of the majority stake in Uranium One—a Canadian firm that controlled one-fifth of U.S. uranium mining and a subsidiary of which was under investigation by the D.O.J. at the time—as the real Russian scandal. Trump allies argue that the 2010 deal amounted to a quid pro quo, as it was approved during Hillary Clinton’s tenure at the State Department and around the same time Bill Clinton received substantial speaking fees in Russia, and the nonprofit Clinton Foundation received donations from entities with interests in the sale. Further, they contend that Mueller, as F.B.I. chief, failed to properly investigate the deal.
Coupled with the revelation that the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign paid for Fusion GPS, through the law firm Perkins Coie, to collect opposition research on Trump, thereby indirectly bankrolling the controversial Steele dossier, Trump allies argue that Mueller’s investigation is indeed a “witch hunt” orchestrated by Clintonworld. “There is clear evidence of the Clinton campaign colluding with Russian intelligence to spread disinformation and smear the president to influence the election,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, hours after news broke that Mueller had made a series of indictments.
Along with calling for Mueller’s resignation, Gaetz is pushing for the appointment of another special counsel to investigate the Uranium One deal, which Trump associates—notably, longtime political operative Roger Stone—and Fox News pundits say would knee-cap Mueller’s investigation. Despite the fundamental flaws in this tactic, Gaetz reportedly made his case to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who stonewalled it. “When I asked the attorney general, he said that any issues regarding Uranium One fell under his recusal,” Gaetz told Business Insider. Sessions then “departed the room when I was insisting that a special counsel be appointed.”
Beyond Sessions, other members of Republican leadership have proven skeptical of the push to oust Mueller, throwing their support behind the former F.B.I. chief, who touts a sterling reputation. “We need to let these career professionals do their jobs, see it through,” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said during an interview with Fox News Sunday. “So, no, I don’t think he should be stepping down, and I don’t think he should be fired. And the president has made it clear, he’s not going to do that.”
But a far larger contingent of Republicans has called into question the credibility of the Steele dossier and the work of Fusion GPS. While the Washington-based investigative firm was first hired by a conservative Web site funded by G.O.P. mega-donor Paul Singer, Fusion GPS has found itself at the center of the controversy surrounding the salacious dossier. Last month, Fusion GPS partners Peter Fritsch and Thomas Catán incited fresh speculation when they invoked their Fifth Amendment right before the House Intelligence Committee after they were subpoenaed to appear. But on Wednesday, Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the House Intelligence Committee probe, and ranking Democrat Adam Schiff announced that they had reached an agreement with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson to testify before the panel.