It appears as though, with the long-awaited release of the Department of Justice Inspector General’s report exposing anti-Trump bias by senior FBI investigators, Republican Congressional leadership was finally ready to call for an end to the Special Counsel’s investigation. After House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) spoke out, ABC’s Good Morning America was fearful for the future of the investigation on Sunday morning.
“There's news this morning in the Russia investigation. New pressure on the Special Counsel Robert Mueller with two top Republicans calling for Mueller to wrap it up,” announced co-anchor, Dan Harris. His counterpart, Paula Faris was worried about “Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal attorney, who now says Robert Mueller and his team should be investigated.”
As ABC White House correspondent Tara Palmeri was leading into the video portion of her report, she acted confused as to why Giuliani would want “the investigation suspended while Mueller's team is investigated for political bias.”
Of course, they neglected to mention how the lead FBI investigator on the case, before it was handed over to Mueller, reassured his mistress that they would “stop” Trump from becoming president. ABC also failed to mention that the IG report found an unidentified lawyer on Mueller’s team had texted “viva le resistance” to a colleague.
After Palmeri’s report, the co-anchors brought on chief White House correspondent Jon Karl (who was hosting ABC’s This Week) to ask him fearful questions about what was in store the Russia probe now that Congressional leaders have seen enough. Faris even scoffed at the idea of investigating the investigators.
“And this is a significant change, Paula. I mean, the Republican leadership in Congress has been consistent in supporting the Mueller investigation,” Karl warned. “Now, the fact that they're coming out saying it's got to be wrapped up, and it’s got to be wrapped up soon, and it's gone on too long. This is a significant change that could erode the political support for Mueller's investigation.”
Harris was concerned that support from Congressional Republicans to end the probe could give President Trump the cover he needed to fire Mueller. “Well, it certainly could,” Karl told him noting how those Republicans had called for Trump to let Mueller do his job previously.
“But if the investigation goes on for a significant time after these Congressional leaders said it needed to stop, it does give the President some -- it seems to me -- some leeway to do something dramatic like that,” Karl concluded on that topic.
ABC’s paranoia about the potential end of the Mueller investigation comes after they tried to shield it from the scathing IG report exposing the bias of some investigators. The following morning, the network ignored the damning anti-Trump text messages altogether. Instead of just reporting the news, they appeared to have a vesting interest in the continuation of the investigation.
The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC
Good Morning America
June 17, 2018
8:09:10 AM Eastern [50 seconds]DAN HARRIS: There's news this morning in the Russia investigation. New pressure on the Special Counsel Robert Mueller with two top Republicans calling for Mueller to wrap it up.
PAULA FARIS: And then there's Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal attorney, who now says Robert Mueller and his team should be investigated. ABC’s White House correspondent, Tara Palmeri is at the White House for us with the very latest this morning. Good morning Tara.
TARA PALMERI: Good morning, Dan and Paula. Giuliani told me last night he wants the investigation suspended while Mueller's team is investigated for political bias. Now, this would just drag out the already year-long probe that President Trump's allies say he wants wrapped up.
[Cuts to video]
President Trump and his allies calling on special counsel Robert Mueller to wrap up the Russia investigation.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: I think the Mueller investigation has got to stop.
MITCH MCCONNELL: They ought to wrap it up. It's gone on seemingly forever.
(…)
8:10:21 AM Eastern [26 seconds]
PALMERI: At the same time, Giuliani potentially dragging the case out even longer. Calling for the probe to be suspended.
RUDY GIULIANI: Mueller only gets an interview after he gets thoroughly investigated and we determine his conflicts, biases, and prejudices with his staff.
PALMERI: Giuliani says he won't even negotiate the terms of a potential sit-down with the President until he sees a record on Mueller’s team. Adding, if the President does agree to cooperate, Giuliani doesn't want him sitting face to face with Mueller.
(…)
8:11:55 AM Eastern [1 minute 20 seconds]
FARIS: So let's talk about the Russia investigation. Rudy Giuliani now calling for an investigation into the investigation. It's one thing when he speaks but now we have prominent lawmakers like McCarthy and Mitch McConnell talking about the Mueller investigation, that we need to wrap it up, so does it make a real difference?
JON KARL: It does. And this is a significant change, Paula. I mean, the Republican leadership in Congress has been consistent in supporting the Mueller investigation. So, even as the President's called it a witch hunt, even as some of those – some of his allies in his base have vilified Mueller. The Congressional leadership, people like McCarthy and Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell, have said that Mueller must be allowed to do his work. Now, the fact that they're coming out saying it's got to be wrapped up, and it’s got to be wrapped up soon, and it's gone on too long. This is a significant change that could erode the political support for Mueller's investigation. And ultimately, the political support matters here.
HARRIS: So would this make it easier for the President to fire him?
JON KARL: Well, it certainly could. They’ve still held the line saying that firing Mueller would be a mistake. But if the investigation goes on for a significant time after these Congressional leaders said it needed to stop, it does give the President some -- it seems to me -- some leeway to do something dramatic like that.
(…)
