Bills in Both House and Senate Tonight Would Protect Mueller
LEMON: You heard the president tonight dodging a question about whether he might fire Robert Mueller or Rod Rosenstein by saying they're still here. But there's no better sign of just how serious all this could be than this. Reports of a leaked internal police e-mail in Pittsburgh ordering major crimes detectives to bring riot gear with them to work beginning tomorrow in case of protests if the president fires Mueller. But there are bills in both the House and Senate tonight that would protect Mueller. And my next guest is backing one of those bills. Joining me now is Congressman Leonard Lance, one of a group of House Republicans backing one of those bills. Good evening. Thank you so much.</s>REP. LEONARD LANCE (R), NEW JERSEY: Thank you very having me.</s>LEMON: The president was asked just a short while ago about fire Robert Mueller, Rod Rosenstein. He said they're still here. Does that give you any confidence he won't act to fire either man or try to shut down the Russia investigation?</s>LANCE: I certainly hope he will not do that, and that's why I'm involved in the legislation, but let me say that it is in the president's best interest not to do that and he's being advised that way by Corey Lewandowski and others and I think he should take that fine advice. And so far the Mueller investigation continues and I am a supporter of the Mueller investigation.</s>LEMON: OK. Before we get to the bill, let me ask you this question, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein oversees the Mueller investigation, oversees Mueller, would firing him effectively accomplish the same goal?</s>LANCE: I don't think so because the Mueller investigation would continue and if someone were to be nominated to be deputy attorney general, that position requires Senate confirmation, Don.</s>LEMON: Yes. OK. So let's talk about a bill. Because there are actually bipartisan bills in both the House and the Senate that would protect Mueller prohibiting the president from firing him without good cause and giving him a right to appeal. Including one by Republican Charlie Dent just this past Friday. You endorsed that bill along with a handful of Republican lawmakers. Why now?</s>LANCE: Because it's important that the Mueller investigation continue and Congressman Dent, as you know, is retiring next month and I hope to be the Republican lead when my good friend, Charlie Dent, retires from the Congress.</s>LEMON: So he's retiring next month. What will happen to the bill you signed on to support then?</s>LANCE: Congressman Welch, a Democrat, is the principal Democrat who is sponsoring the bill. I hope to become the principal Republican. And of course, this is identical with the bipartisan bill in the Senate of the United States. Senator Tillis, Senator Booker, Senator Alexander, I believe, perhaps Senator Graham, I think it's Senator Graham, and Senator Coons and we have to move forward in a bipartisan capacity in this matter in my judgment.</s>LEMON: OK. So the bill will continue to go on even without Charlie Dent?</s>LANCE: Absolutely.</s>LEMON: House and Senate leaders have opposed any such bill. I want you to listen now to both Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan said just yesterday. Watch this.</s>MITCH MCCONNELL(R), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I don't think he should fire Mueller and I don't think he's going to. So this is a piece of legislation is not necessary in my judgment.</s>NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS HOST: Obviously none of your colleagues fear it enough to say it should be in there as an--</s>MCCONNELL: Yes. But I'm the one who decides what he takes to the floor. That's my responsibility as the majority leader and we'll not be having this on the floor of the Senate.</s>CAVUTO: Would you be shocked if he did fire him?</s>MCCONNELL: Yes, I don't think he should and I don't think he will.</s>PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: We do not believe that he should be fired, and we do not believe that he will be fired.</s>LEMON: So they think -- they feel differently than you.</s>LANCE: I would hope that as Senator Grassley brings this bill out of his committee that the majority leader might reconsider his point of view and that's why it's bipartisan in nature, Don, and that is why I support it.</s>LEMON: OK. Listen, there's a lot of talk about a blue wave coming. New Jersey is a solid blue state and you won your district by 11 points in 2016, yet your seat is judged to be a tossup by both CNN and Cook Political Report. Are you worried you're going to lose your seat, congressman?</s>LANCE: I am not. I won by 38,000 votes last time. Secretary Clinton carried the district by 3,800 votes. We had a governor's race in New Jersey a couple of months ago. And the Republican candidate for governor who lost the state by the same percentage as Donald Trump a year before won our district by 15,000 votes and state Senate republican candidates by 21,000 votes. Don, I have a very sophisticated district. And I'm going be judged base upon what I have supported including this piece of legislation.</s>LEMON: Are you hearing about the Russia investigation from your constituents and if so, what are they telling you?</s>LANCE: I am. I hold town hall meetings regularly and my constituents want to get to the bottom of how the Russians were involved in tampering with our elective process and that is unconscionable and we want to make sure it does not happen again. We need to make sure that the sanctity of the voting booth is preserved in this country. There should be no voting fraud in this country and certainly there should be no tampering by a foreign power, particularly the Russians.</s>LEMON: Let me ask you, is the president -- the president a liability for you or other moderate Republicans come the midterms?</s>LANCE: I support the administration when I can, but I have opposed both the health care bill and the tax bill and I want the Russian investigation to continue and I will be judged based upon my views. I have been a Republican throughout my entire adult life. I'm a proud republican. And those in my district will judge me based upon my views.</s>LEMON: Congressman Lance, thank you.</s>LANCE: Thank you, Don.</s>LEMON: And when we come back, President Trump remembering former First Lady Barbara Bush tonight. But after all his criticism of her family, will he pay his respects at her funeral?