Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union – the country’s oldest conservative lobbying organization – discussed the Mueller investigation, the Koch brothers’ refusal to endorse a prominent Republican senatorial candidate, and the GOP’s challenge recruiting women to run for office on ABC’s Powerhouse Politics podcast.
Shortly before the Wednesday taping, President Donald Trump called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the special counsel investigation – from which Sessions has recused himself – with a tweet that quickly sparked debate about whether Trump’s comment constituted obstruction of justice.
..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
Asked whether it’s appropriate for Trump to weigh in on the ongoing investigation, Schlapp said, “That’s the best way to move forward.”
The ACU chairman insisted that the president should “actively manage” the Department of Justice probe. He suggested that Trump is aiming to apply a “stopwatch” to the investigation, “an end time when they have to simply say what they have in mind.”
As for Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to investigate matters related to Russian interference in the 2016 elections, Schlapp said, “the politics of this investigation are really getting away from him.”
ABC’s Political Director Rick Klein pointed out that Mueller has not weighed in on the politics of the probe, despite repeated attacks from the president.
In response, Schlapp argued that Mueller has “surrounded himself with attack dogs who are known…
