GOP trying to shut down Russia investigation days after indictments of Trump campaign staff

A new bill, proposed by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and cosponsored by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Louis Gohmert (R-TX), demands that Robert Mueller “resign from his position.”

The legislation comes in the same week that a grand jury indicted Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort along with Richard Gates, who also worked for the campaign, on multiple charges, including “conspiracy against the United States.”

It was also revealed that Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with prosecutors. Papadopoulos’ supervisor, Sam Clovis, is also speaking to federal authorities about the Trump campaign, and had his nomination for a position at the FDA pulled at the last minute.

The GOP bill cites the same uranium conspiracy that has been flogged by Trump and Fox News as a smokescreen to dodge the charges against Trump’s campaign cronies. It is a long-debunked rehash of right-wing smears of Hillary Clinton, proof that Republicans cannot let go of the fact that she earned millions more votes than Trump.

But Republicans have never let citing absurd conspiracies get in the way of doing business or covering for each other. The men behind this resolution are knee-deep in the right’s conspiratorial muck.

Gaetz used a conspiracy theorist forum on the discussion site Reddit to help him compose an amendment attacking Clinton. The resulting information was then mainstreamed via the House Judiciary Committee.

Co-sponsor Gohmert has a long and embarrassing history of citing the strangest theories about how the world works. He recently said the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia — committed by white supremacists — was the work of left-wing groups, and cited nonexistent “witnesses out there” to prove his point. He once insisted that “terror babies” would attack the United States. And he said “radical Islamists” were taking Spanish lessons “because we don’t fear Hispanics.”

That is the pedigree of the Republicans providing cover for Trump in the House. Conspiratorial, while themselves covering up for an administration mired in charges of illegality.

A perfect match.