Graham Doesn’t Think Trump Will Fire Mueller: ‘I Think He’s Smarter Than That’

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday that he thinks President Donald Trump is “too smart” to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and that the President is merely frustrated over the recent FBI raid of his personal attorney Michael Cohen’s properties.

“The bottom line is I’m not worried about Trump firing Mueller, because I think he’s smarter than that,” Graham said to CNN’s Kate Bolduan. “I know he’s frustrated. You would be frustrated, too, if your personal attorney had his office raided.”

Despite his nonchalance, Graham cosponsored a bill back in August with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that would require the attorney general to seek extensive judicial review before firing the special prosecutor. The bill has since stalled in committee.

In his CNN appearance, Graham also predicted that when more information about the raid is released, it will be revealed that the searches pertained to Cohen’s actions independent of Trump. “I don’t know what Cohen did,” he said. “This whole idea of borrowing money against your house to pay a claim to Stormy Daniels was bizarre by any legal standard that I know.

“The fact that he settled the claim and didn’t tell the President is kind of out there,” he continued. “So I don’t know what they’re looking at. Chances are this is more about Cohen than it is Trump, but we’ll see over time.”

Last week, Trump denied any knowledge of the $130,000 payment Cohen made days before the 2016 election to Daniels so she would keep her silence about her alleged affair with Trump. Reportedly, some of the materials agents seized in the raids Monday concern the payment.

Watch part of the interview below:

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