GOP senator: Let's ignore Mueller report to confirm more radical judges

On Monday, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) told CNN that special counsel Robert Mueller testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee is not necessary. Instead, she wants to focus her energy on confirming Trump’s radical judicial nominees.

Ernst’s comments come only five days after the release of the redacted 400-page Mueller report that highlights several instances of Trump attempting to obstruct justice.

When asked if Mueller should testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Ernst is a member, Ernst said, “I don’t know that that’s necessary, we have the report so we can go from there.”

Even when asked about holding any hearing on the findings in the Mueller report, Ernst said the House “seems all over this” and that her committee’s “primary concern” is to keep packing the judiciary with far-right judges.

In the Trump era, the Senate has approved a large number of judges despite extremist views on issues ranging from racial- and gender-based discrimination to same-sex marriage. Several of the judges have even been called “not qualified” by the American Bar Association.

Ernst’s call to essentially ignore the report lines up with the efforts of other Republican leaders to downplay Mueller’s findings and continue to ignore Trump’s potential crimes.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, also said he had no interest in calling Mueller to testify, despite Mueller making clear in his report that it is up to Congress to determine the appropriate actions to take regarding Trump’s repeated attempts to obstruct justice.

Mueller spent two years investigating Trump’s shady connections to Russia and his attempts to obstruct justice. In his report, Mueller provided stark evidence of Trump trying to interfere with the investigation, including multiple attempts to get his subordinates to end the investigation.

But Ernst and her fellow Republicans are making it clear that they have no interest in taking any action related to the report and would rather continue to pursue their extremist agenda than hold a criminal president accountable.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.