A Vancouver demonstration in support of special counsel Robert Mueller drew about 50 U.S. citizens and supporters on Thursday evening.
Demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. consulate at 1075 West Pender St., some wearing American flags and others toting signs with messages such as “no one is above the law.”
“I think it’s paramount to the solidity of American institutional existence, democracy itself.”
Billed as an “emergency protest,” event organizers Democrats Abroad and Moveon.org described it as a demonstration against U.S. President Donald Trump’s “sabotage of the Mueller investigation.”
Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian meddling and collusion in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
PHOTOS: Demonstrators gather in support of Robert Mueller outside the U.S. consulate in Vancouver
On Wednesday, Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, raising the possibility that Sessions’ replacement — Matthew Whitaker — could seek to curtail Mueller’s investigation.
“There is a question as to whether this is even legal. Normally, even the acting attorney general needs to be appointed by the Senate and the Congress, and they need to vet and give their blessing. And that hasn’t occurred. So Donald Trump has just made another power grab. The constitution is shaking right now.”
Mitchell Jr. said Whitaker was improperly empowered, bypassing deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and argued that as a vocal opponent of the Mueller probe, Whitaker is in a conflict of interest.
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He said many people fear Whitaker could try to wind down the investigation or even hide Mueller’s final report.
READ MORE: What’s next for the Mueller probe? Imminent charges and indictments are possible, experts say
The Saturday Night Massacre refers to an incident in 1973 when President Nixon ordered his attorney general and deputy attorney general to fire independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was investigating the Watergate scandal. Both refused and resigned, before Solicitor General Robert Bork, third in command at the Department of Justice, agreed to fire Cox.
The Vancouver protest was one of 900 such events being organized in U.S. and Canadian cities, including Victoria and Toronto, according to Democrats Abroad.
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