I received the following letter in response to my calling and writing Republican Senator Thom Tillis to compliment him on his bipartisan legislation to make sure Robert Mueller is given a fair hearing if he is fired. The letter speaks for itself.
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Thank you for taking the time to contact me about S. 2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. I appreciate hearing from you.
I believe in the rule of law, regardless of who occupies the White House or which party leads the Justice Department. That is why in August I introduced a bill to create a judicial-review process to prevent the removal of a special counsel without good cause.
Over the past several months, Senator Christopher Coons (D-DE) and I have been working with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), who introduced a similar bill, to reconcile the differences between the two proposals. On April 11, 2018, we introduced the compromise, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act.
Last May, when the Justice Department named former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel, virtually all lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats alike — praised the choice. Mueller has had a distinguished career in law enforcement and public service, and he has a well-earned reputation for impartiality. I have confidence that he will follow the facts, wherever they may lead. I also have confidence that he is leading the investigation without bias toward either side of the political spectrum.
Letting his investigation run its course is in the best interest of the country, and it is the only option to ensure that the American people have trust in the process. This is critically important because it means when the investigation concludes, our country can move forward together. Our bill will help ensure that happens.
I have received a good deal of criticism from my own party for introducing special-counsel legislation, with the common refrain being that it is harmful to President Trump. It isn’t, for two main reasons.
First, if the president actually removes the special counsel without good cause, it would likely result in swift, bipartisan backlash and shake the country’s faith in the integrity of our legal system. Talking heads and pundits on television encouraging the president to make such a drastic and counterproductive move most certainly do not have his best interests at heart. The result would not be good for the American people, my own party or the president.
Second, the constant headlines and rumors that President Trump is considering or has considered removing Mueller — “fake news” or not — are a distraction from the president’s agenda and successful policy initiatives. While the president is understandably frustrated with the investigation, I don’t believe he would ultimately remove Mueller, and the White House and the president’s legal team have indicated that he does not intend to do so. This bill becoming law would remove that narrative from the conversation.
Political grandstanding requires no courage — independence and compromise do. The focus needs to be on achieving a legislative outcome, not a talking point. There are members of my conference who want to get to “yes,” and can get there, especially because the bill will be subject to an amendment process in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the bill can be improved. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle who support the bill for the right reasons and want a result will be working hand-in-hand to build consensus and get us closer to 60 votes.
The Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act is about protecting the rule of law and producing an outcome that is good for our country. It’s not about producing an outcome for one political party.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Please do not hesitate to contact me again about other important issues.
Sincerely,
Thom Tillis
U.S. Senator
musingsofanoldfart 
It’s too bad that the Senate Majority Leader killed the bill. He needs to go.
John, Senator McConnell is definitely no profile in courage. He is a poster child of what is wrong with Washington. Please feel free to share Tillis’ letter with any of your US friends. Keith
That sounded like the voice of reason.
Hugs
David, I was taken aback by the reason and candor in the letter. My newspaper printed the whole letter this morning, after I forwarded the response, as they saw the veracity therein. Keith
Too bad that well-reasoned position is in the minority in the republican party.
Janis, it is indeed. That is why I want to get this message out. I spoke with one of McConnell’s staff and shared my disappointment and concern with his not allowing a vote on this bill. It reveal a failure to his oath and a greater allegiance to party over country. Please feel free to share Tillis’ letter. My newspaper printed the letter thud morning after I shared it with them. Keith
Note to Readers: While I disagree with Tillis on several issues. I commend him on this legislation which is pushing a ball uphill. I say that because there are Senators like Cotton, Perdue who have been acclaimed by their own party for lying on behalf of the President, even defaming another Senator who told the truth. Also, Congressman Devin Nunes has made at least three unethical and highly political moves as chair of the House Intelligence Committee to impair the Mueller investigation. He also defamed a Senator, yet he is out touring with Trump to support candidates. He should be removed from his chair position or asked to resign for what he has done. My personal favorite is writing a memo on a report he did not read. I truly wish these statements were not true, but they are.
WOW! I am impressed with Thom Tillis! He obviously took the time to read your letter and give you a well-thought-out response, and … he is trying to do the right thing for the people and the nation, rather than only his own party. It is encouraging to see our elected representatives take a stand for the right thing. Too bad his voice of reason seems to be in the minority. Even though his bill is dead in the water, I applaud his efforts. I shall re-blog this, for people need to see it.
Thanks Jill. I shared this letter with my newspaper and the ran it Sunday as it is so impactful. Please feel free to send it in to your paper. Keith
Thank you, Keith … I have sent it to the Cincinnati Enquirer … now to see if they publish it.
Jill, thanks for doing that. Let’s hope they run it. Keith
Reblogged this on Filosofa's Word and commented:
For a long time now, we … well, many of us, anyway … have been tirelessly writing letters, sending emails and calling our elected representatives to share our views about the direction our government is moving. Our efforts go largely unnoticed, we are either ignored or receive a standard, canned response that leaves us wondering whether our letter was read, or our message passed on. However, there is an exception, and I wanted to share it with you today. Our friend Keith Wilson received the following letter in response from North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, and I was so impressed and encouraged by the response that I simply had to share it with you. Thank you, Keith, for allowing me to share this letter.
Jill, thanks for the reblog. I hope his well written letter and rationale get a wide audience. My newspaper ran it Sunday and I forwarded it to my email distribution and some other newspapers. Thanks again, Keith
Dear Keith,
I will be forwarding a thank you card to Sen. Thom Tillis for having the courage to enact legislation to protect the “rule of law” in this country instead of caving into party loyalty politics.
If enough folks support Sen Tillis and others for working on this legislation, at least a signal will have been sent that the American peoples don’t like the “rule of law,” the FBI, the DOJ being frequently and unfairly attacked as these entities are NOT supposed to be the president’s political tools.
Hugs, Gronda
Thanks Gronda. Agreed. I mentioned to Jill The Charlotte Observer ran the full letter as a “For the Record” piece. Feel free to share it with yours and others. I sent an email as well. Thanks, Keith
Wow…that is amazing.
Indeed it is.
Note to Readers: What makes Tillis’ (and his co-sponsors’) stance more courageous is there are a significant number of Republicans who know something is amiss with the President. But, only a small number have a backbone worrying too much about keeping their job, than doing their job. That needs to change for the sake of our country. I do not share Tillis’ sentiment about the success of the President’s agenda.
Note to Readers: The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted 14 to 7 to protect Mueller. The push needs to be on McConnell. Here is the article.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-panel-advances-bill-protecting-special-counsel/ar-AAwlCR1?ocid=spartandhp