House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) insisted on Sunday that no legislation was needed to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller even though recent reports indicate that Donald Trump has already tried to fire the lead investigator in the Russia probe.
The New York Times first reported last week that Trump had ordered Mueller fired in June but backed down when White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign.
During an interview on Sunday, NBC Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked McCarthy if he would be open to a bill that would make it more difficult for the president to fire Mueller.
"I don't think there's a need for legislation to protect Mueller," McCarthy opined. "We're raising an issue that's not [an issue] -- at the same time, we've got an issue about funding for the military."
"If there's an issue that arises, we'll take it up at that time," he added. "But right now, there is not an issue. So why create one?"
McCarthy went on to suggest that he was suspicious that the FBI might be out to get Trump, but he shot down the idea of a so-called "deep state."
"Let me ask you this in the reverse," Todd said. "If this were a Democrat being investigated, why do I have a feeling you'd be sitting here saying, 'Boy they seem to be so concerned about the investigators.' It's almost as if they are afraid of the facts that are being found. The disputes over this seem to be about the fact finders and not the facts. It's sort of like, you don't like where the facts are going so you question -- it's basically Johnny Cochran's O.J. Simpson defense."
McCarthy replied by repeating a common GOP conspiracy theory that claims the FBI used Democratic research to obtain a warrant to spy on the Trump campaign.
Todd interrupted: "You believe this is a giant -- you're painting a conspiracy. You think that is the plausible explanation?"
"No, no!" McCarthy objected. "I'm not painting any conspiracy. I have given you no conclusion except the facts that are out there."
