RACINE – Local Democrats in Racine took to the streets Thursday night as part of a nationwide protest after President Donald J. Trump forced Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign.
Trump asked Sessions to step down from the job after Sessions recused himself from an inquiry around a special investigation into Russia’s election interference. Sessions appointed Robert S. Mueller III to lead the inquiry. Trump tapped on Matthew G. Whitaker, Session’s chief of staff, to act as the attorney general, according to a story by the New York Times.
A number of Racine County Democrats held signs and protested on Monument Square. They called Trump a liar and demanded that Congress, and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville), protect Mueller and the investigation.
Patti Hurley, one of the organizers of the protest, said the action in Racine was planned in conjunction with others happening across the nation. It was important to her because she loves her country and she wants to see Mueller’s investigation continue.
“This undermines the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible Trump collusion,” she said. “We are calling on Congress to respond quickly and forcefully to this clear obstruction of justice.”
Hurley wants Ryan to put his country before his party and act “swiftly and forcefully” against what she called “this blatant abuse of power by Donald Trump,” she said.
House Democrats called for a bill that would protect special counsel. But a spokeswoman for Ryan’s office told the news agency that Ryan has remarked in the past that “he does not believe there is a need for Congress to pass legislation aimed at protecting the special counsel from termination,” according to a story by Reuters.
“A U.S. Justice Department attorney on Thursday spelled out the circumstances under which Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be fired in a court case that took on new significance this week after President Donald Trump ousted his attorney general,” the story reads.
The judges in that case have not given a timeline on the ruling.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Washington and here in Racine, are worried about the viability of the Russia investigation. Hurley believes Sessions was fired to “undermine the Russia investigation” and others agreed with her.
“We need to protect Mueller,” said Melissa Warner. “That’s why I’m here.”
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