Speaking from the well of the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring legislation to a vote that would prevent President Donald Trump from dismissing special counsel Robert Mueller. “Yesterday’s events could only have been the result of a rigorous legal process with checks every step of the way and with a very high burden of proof,” Schumer said. “Last night, President Trump said the FBI raid was a disgrace, part of a witch hunt, an attack on our country and mentioned that many people have encouraged him to fire Mr. Mueller. ‘We’ll see what happens,’ he concluded.” Senator Schumer said that “for months, Republicans have said that legislation to protect the special counsel is not needed because they’ve been assured by nameless people that the president won’t fire the special counsel.” He went on to say, “That assurance has been shaken by the president’s comments last night.”

"Last night, @POTUS said the FBI raid was a disgrace, part of a witch hunt, an attack on our country and mentioned that many people have encouraged him to fire Mr. Mueller... I would remind the president that [Mueller] is a lifelong Republican," Sen. Schumer says pic.twitter.com/hYJwifR9Uk

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 10, 2018

“The president suggests that the latest events are part of a partisan conspiracy against him,” Schumer said. “I’d remind the president that the source of the referral, special counsel Mueller is a lifelong Republican. The deputy attorney general who signed off on the referral, Rod Rosenstein, is a Republican appointed by President Trump.”

Attorney-client privilege is alive and well, as is the exception of attorney-client privilege when commutations between an attorney and client are used to further a crime or fraud, which may be the case here. It’s called the crime-fraud exception. It’s very well known. https://t.co/WuqEy1XYyZ

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 10, 2018

Schumer called on the Senate to “take steps to protect the special counsel from political interference.” He explained, “We have several bipartisan bills designed to do just that.” Firing a shot across the bow of the Republican caucus, Schumer “Majority Leader McConnell should bring them to the floor and let us debate them very soon.”

Special Counsel Mueller has uncovered a pattern of Russian interference in our elections that has led to several indictments & guilty pleas. It has also led YOUR administration to level sanctions against Russian individuals for meddling in our elections. https://t.co/x1uUH33kgL

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 10, 2018

Additionally, Schumer issued several tweets about the issue.

It has become crystal clear to me that the only person engaging in an attack on American values, particularly the rule of law, is unfortunately @realDonaldTrump.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 10, 2018