GOP Sen. Mike Lee warns Mueller protection bill would create a ‘de facto fourth branch of government’

Nick Givas, DCNF

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, questions Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was called back to testify about claims by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo by Andrew Harnik - Pool/Getty Images) — (Photo by Andrew Harnik – Pool/Getty Images)

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said Thursday he does not support the Senate bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller because it would create a “de facto fourth branch of government” unanswerable to the Constitution.

Lee was discussing Michael Cohen’s guilty plea for making false statements to Congress regarding the Russia probe and said it’s time for Mueller to wrap things up.

“I hope that it is wrapping soon. This has been going on for the better part of two years and I want him to finish his work and I think he ought to wrap it up soon,” Lee said on Fox’s “America’s Newsroom” Thursday.

Lee said Cohen’s plea shouldn’t change anything about the Russia probe and criticized the proposed Senate bill to protect Mueller as the special counsel.

“I don’t think it changes anything about how I look at the probes,” he replied. “I certainly don’t think it changes anything about how I look at the Flake/Coons bill, that would try to create a de facto fourth branch of government … unanswerable to the president of the United States, operating outside of the separation of powers system established by our Constitution.”

“I still oppose that and nothing about that changes,” Lee continued. “I don’t think anything about this latest development [with Cohen] also necessarily indicates that the Mueller probe has to last much longer.”

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