22 GOP Senate seats are up in 2020. Mueller is making it hard for Senate R's to vote "nay" to convict Trump once the House impeaches. McConnell & Murdoch mtg likely was to plan timing of turning on Trump. Get him to resign or GOP Senate will get him out to limit 2020 massacre
It's also possible McConnell doesn't want to "protect" Mueller because he wants to give Trump enough rope to hang himself, making it easier for GOP Senate to vote to convict, thus limiting 2020 bloodshed (and beyond)
McConnell will publicly whip the votes to convict Trump so that Trump will resign, but the GOP Senators who need to be on the record that they would vote to oust Trump still can use it in their campaigns.
