Rep. Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.) on Monday night was joined by multiple Republican members of Congress on the House floor to call for a second special counsel to investigate allegations of bias and abuse at the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Zeldin spoke on the House floor along with Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R., N.C.) and Reps. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.), Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.) and Louie Gohmert (R., Texas) to express their view that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has not gone far enough to investigate the impact of potential bias on DOJ investigations. They called for a second special counsel because they believe Robert Mueller is partisan and won't look into certain critical issues, according to the Hill.
Proponents of the measure argue a new special counsel is needed to look into evidence they feel raises concerns over why the FBI closed the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, why the Trump-Russia probe began and whether FISA warrants that were granted to target Trump campaign adviser Carter Page were politically motivated.
Critics fear adding a second special counsel would undermine Mueller's ability to conduct his investigation into potential collusion.
Sessions declined lawmakers request for an additional appointment late last month, but appointed John Huber, a federal prosecutor in Utah, to look into the allegations.
"We are laying out the very important case here tonight why the second special counsel is needed with regards to misconduct at the highest levels of the DOJ and FBI related to FISA abuse, how and why the Hillary Clinton email probe ended, how and why the Trump-Russia probe began, and we cannot expect the DOJ and FBI to full investigate themselves, Mr. Speaker," said Zeldin in a floor speech that lasted almost twenty minutes.
"This is not about politics, but about the principles that bind together our nation and our Constitutional system of government, equality under the law, an impartiality of justice. It's what brings all of us to the House floor tonight, urging the Attorney General of the United States to take immediate action through the appointment of a second special counsel. Too many questions remain unanswered and too much is at stake," Zeldin added.
A DOJ spokesman confirmed earlier this month to the Washington Free Beacon it had received a recent letter from Zeldin and 12 other lawmakers, which outlined their concerns and reasons for a second special counsel, but would not comment further.