A special prosecutor must be appointed if incriminating evidence emerges about alleged contacts between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, a top Republican senator said Wednesday.
The remarks from South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham come on the heels of a report that Attorney General Jeff Sessions conducted pre-inauguration conversations with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The FBI, which Sessions oversees, is reportedly investigating Ru
“If there is something there and it goes up the chain of investigation, it is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about Trump,” Graham said during a CNN town hall. “There may be nothing there, but if there’s something there that the FBI believes is criminal in nature, then for sure you need a special prosecutor.”
“If that day ever comes, I’ll be the first one to say it needs to be someone other than Jeff,” he said.
Republican congressman Darrell Issa has also backed an independent prosecutor if incriminating evidence surfaces. Issa’s remarks came after the resignation of former national security adviser Mike Flynn, who left the White House in mid-February after admitting that he had misled the vice-president about phone calls he had with Kislyak.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic lawmakers have called for Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation related to Flynn.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Monday that he has received “no evidence” of regular contact between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“As of right now, the initial inquiries I’ve made to the appropriate agencies, I don’t have any evidence,” said California congressman Devin Nunes. “What I’ve been told is, by many folks, is that there’s nothing there.”
The Senate and House Intelligence committees have folded a probe of the Trump campaign’s alleged contacts with the Kremlin into a broader investigation of illicit Russian activities.
The House investigation will probe whether Russia’s campaign of election interference included “links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns or any other U.S. Persons,” according to a committee release. It will also look into intelligence leaks and malicious Russian cyber activity.
