Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was in the middle of giving his post-election spiel to reporters when the news broke of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ firing.
After he was speaking, an aide handed him a note telling him what had just happened. “Oh,” he said. Then, bracing for the inevitable questions from reporters, he gave his immediate reaction: “protecting Mueller and his investigation is paramount,” he said.
“It would create a constitutional crisis if this were a prelude to ending or greatly limiting the Mueller investigation. And I hope President Trump and those he listens to will refrain from that,” he added.
Schumer then declined to take additional questions from reporters on this subject until after discussing the election, and only opined that he thought the timing was suspect.
The only lawmaker to issue an official statement in the immediate minutes after the news was Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, who issued a strongly worded statement defending Sessions’ work both in the Department of Justice and as a longtime Alabama Senator. Cornyn’s office declined to say if he had advance notice of the firing.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa tweeted his appreciation for Sessions’ service.
On the House side, current Republican leaders who had spent the morning announcing what they would run for in the minority party, also did not issue immediate statements. (Kevin McCarthy had announced he was mounting a run for minority leader and Steve Scalise as whip).
But it became clear Democrats intended to use their newfound majority to investigate what had transpired.
“Americans must have answers immediately,” tweeted Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who will likely chair the judiciary committee when Democrats assume control of the chamber in January. “Why is the President making this change and who has authority over Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation? We will be holding people accountable.”
