--- title: Bills to Stop Donald Trump From Firing Robert Mueller Stall description: Reports that Donald Trump attempted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller last June have led to renewed calls to protect the investigation. canonical: https://time.com/5120851/trump-mueller-special-counsel-senate-judiciary/ author: Nash Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-26T19:22:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:02:21.039Z article:section: Politics og:title: These Bills Would Prevent Donald Trump From Firing Robert Mueller. They're Going Nowhere og:description: Two Senate bills have languished for several months og:url: https://time.com/5120851/trump-mueller-special-counsel-senate-judiciary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6764d68b1f2d0443/6988f9a7e76ad25eb7630c88/gettyimages-103136889.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: FBI Director Mueller Testifies At Senate Judiciary Cmte Hearing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Bills Would Prevent Donald Trump From Firing Robert Mueller. They're Going Nowhere twitter:description: Two Senate bills have languished for several months twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6764d68b1f2d0443/6988f9a7e76ad25eb7630c88/gettyimages-103136889.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Bills Would Prevent Donald Trump From Firing Robert Mueller. They're Going Nowhere > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Nash Jenkins](https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Jan 26, 2018 7:22 PM UTC  FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee focusing on the oversight of the FBI July 28, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee focusing on the oversight of the FBI July 28, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Nash Jenkins](https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Jan 26, 2018 7:22 PM UTC Reports that President Donald Trump attempted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller last June have led to renewed calls for long-stalled legislation protecting the investigation. After multiple news outlets [reported](http://time.com/5120383/robert-mueller-firing-trump/) that Trump ordered White House lawyer Don McGahn to fire Mueller, then just a month into his position, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to move forward on two bills that would make it harder to fire the special counsel. > [](https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal/status/956714586064990213) Still, none of the four bills introduced to protect Mueller’s investigation have gotten very far or look likely to move forward soon. Two bills have been introduced in the Senate, both bipartisan. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, the [Special Counsel Integrity Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1741?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22special+counsel%22%5D%7D&r=4) would only permit the firing of a special counsel in the event of “misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, or conflict of interest.” Sponsored by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, the [Special Counsel Independence Protection Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1735) that would require an extensive judicial process to do so. Both have been in a holding pattern in the Senate Judiciary Committee for several months and have only a couple co-sponsors, indicators that they are not moving ahead any time soon. “I don’t feel an urgent need to pass that law until you show me a reason that Mr. Mueller’s in jeopardy,” Graham [told reporters](http://time.com/5003142/republicans-congress-robert-mueller/) in late October. “I don’t think anyone in their right mind at the White House would think about replacing Mr. Mueller.” There are [parallel](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3654/text) [bills](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3771) in the House of Representatives, which have a little more support. One, introduced by Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, has 31 cosponsors, all Democrats. However, none of the bills have the support to pass in either chamber, both of which are controlled by Republicans. Meantime, GOP lawmakers in recent weeks have [revved up attacks](http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/367683-house-gop-intensifies-assault-on-mueller-probe) on the Mueller probe, decrying it as politically motivated. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5120851/trump-mueller-special-counsel-senate-judiciary/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5120851/trump-mueller-special-counsel-senate-judiciary/"},"headline":"These Bills Would Prevent Donald Trump From Firing Robert Mueller. 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