The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday warned President Donald Trump against firing special counsel Robert Mueller during his investigation into Russia’s meddling with the 2016 presidential election. Speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said that any attempt by Trump to oust Mueller, pardon key witnesses in the investigation or shut down the inquiry would constitute a “gross abuse of power and a flagrant violation” of the executive branch’s responsibilities. “These truly are red lines and [we] simply cannot allow them to be crossed,” said Warner, who is vice president of the Senate intelligence panel. Warner added that Mueller’s firing could spark a “constitutional crisis,” and warned Trump that no one in the U.S. is above the law. “It also has the potential to provoke a constitutional crisis,” Warner added.

Source: Huffington Post December 21, 2017 00:45 UTC