Democrats planning to call Mueller for nationally televised hearings if he's removed from the Russia probe: report

Democrats are already preparing an emergency scenario in case President Donald Trump tries to purge the Department of Justice and shut down the special counsel probe.

Robert Mueller and his team have gone silent in the weeks ahead of the midterm election, which handed subpoena power to House Democrats -- who are ready to protect the investigation from the president's interference, reported Politico.

Nancy Pelosi, who's likely to return to her post as House Speaker, has pledged to make sure Mueller's "documentation is preserved," and senior Democratic officials say the special counsel would immediately be summoned to Capitol Hill for nationally televised testimony about his findings if he's removed.

“I think you could expect Democrats to take pieces of what they shut down and expose it publicly,” said one high-ranking Democratic policy adviser. “This is a report paid for with taxpayer dollars. So taxpayers would have a right to know what Mr. Mueller found.”

That's the exact opposite position taken by the president and his legal team.

Trump's advisers say the president will try to keep the special counsel's findings from public release by arguing the materials are too sensitive or subject to executive privilege, and they say Justice Department appointees will fight Democratic subpoenas.

“They’re not going to turn over stuff to the House,” said Joe diGenova, an informal Trump legal adviser. “They’re going to litigate all the way to the Supreme Court.”