Virginia U.S. Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, took to the floor of the U.S. Senate last night to deliver a scathing statement warning President Trump or his allies from interfering with the investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election last fall. He warned Trump not to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller or to pardon anyone Mueller has or will indict, saying such moves will trigger a “constitutional crisis.”

Warner called on his Senate colleagues “to make a clear and unambiguous statement that any attempt by this President to remove Special Counsel Mueller from his position, or to pardon key witnesses in an effort to shield them from accountability or shut down the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power and a flagrant violation of Executive branch responsibilities and authorities.”

He added, “These are red lines, and we simply cannot allow them to be crossed.” He stated, “Mr. Mueller is a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a lifelong Republican, appointed to his current role by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, also a Republican. In fact, all of the major players to date in this investigation — former Director Comey, current FBI Director Wray, Rosenstein and even Attorney General Sessions, who has recused himself — are all Republicans. The charges of Democratic political bias are baseless, given the makeup of the leadership team.”