Good Intentions but a Bad Idea

Congress is working on a bill that would prohibit President Trump from firing Robert Mueller. It has support from both parties. Jeff Flake says he will vote against all judicial nominees until the bill is passed.

They may have good intentions but it is a bad idea. The President should have the right to fire any political appointee in the executive branch. If they could prevent one president from firing one person, they could tell a new president that he can’t fire anyone, even if they belong to the other party. That may sound far-fetched but it actually happened. Congress passed a law forcing Andrew Johnson to keep Lincoln’s cabinet even though they were conspiring against him. This is what led to his impeachment.

The law is also unnecessary. There are indications that the Mueller team is wrapping up their investigation. Besides, Trump has to know that firing Mueller would effectively end his presidency.
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We are a government of laws, not men. The Constitution is the law of the land. We should honor it and not try to weasel our way around it like when the Obama administration argued that not buying insurance was interstate commerce.
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