Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday it is time for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to “wrap up” the Russia investigation.
“What I think about the Mueller investigation is, they ought to wrap it up,” the Kentucky senator told the Washington Examiner. “It’s gone on seemingly forever and I don’t know how much more they think they can find out.”
Mueller was charged with investigating potentially sinister ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, but has since expanded the scope of his probe to address other matters he has encountered, such as Trump’s personal finances and unrelated wrongdoing by campaign members.
McConnell said that as of Thursday he had not read the highly-anticipated Justice Department Inspector General’s report on “insubordinate” and “extraordinary” decisions by fired FBI Director James Comey during the Clinton email server investigation as well as political bias within the FBI.
“If the IG is through, why can’t the Mueller investigation finally wrap up?” McConnell remarked.
Senate Republicans have been more reticent than House GOP to criticize the special counsel, but both caucuses are growing more frustrated with the Russia probe as it drags on past the one-year mark.
As the midterm congressional elections approach, many members of Congress are looking to back the president in order to get reelected in districts Trump won in 2016.
Trump has railed against the investigation, calling it a “witch hunt” many times and accusing the FBI of being biased against him.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said he would like to see Mueller conclude the probe, and said his guess is that the special counsel is about ready to do so.
Vice President Mike Pence also warned Mueller last month to “wrap it up,” the first time the president’s right hand man has called for the probe to be shuttered.
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