Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the Justice Department official who wrote the memo justifying the firing of former FBI Director James Comey should have nothing to do appointing a special prosecutor to probe Russia’s influence on the U.S. election.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recommended Comey’s ouster to Trump, and is leading the investigation into Russia’s influence in the U.S. election. But Schumer said Rosenstein can’t be trusted to pick an objective special prosecutor.
“Mr. Rosenstein cannot be the person to appoint [a special prosecutor]. Serious doubts have been cast on Mr. Rosenstein’s impartiality,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.
Schumer: Comey's reported requests for increased funds for Russia probe "might be" why he was fired pic.twitter.com/J1Iap2XRS5— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 10, 2017
Schumer cited reports saying Comey asked for more resources for the Russia probe just before he was fired as a key reason why Rosenstein needs to be removed from the process of finding a special prosecutor. However, the Department of Justice rejected those reports as “totally false.”
Schumer made other demands related to Trump’s firing of Comey. He said the leader of the investigation should not be a political appointee, a point that was also made by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., at the Democratic caucus meeting today.
He also called on Comey to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week, and for Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein to promptly brief the Senate on the events.
The comments came hours after the Senate Democratic Caucus met earlier Wednesday to discuss their path forward regarding the investigation.
Schumer applauded Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Mark Warner, D-Va., the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who invited Comey to testify next week before the committee. He was slated to appear at a committee hearing tomorrow, but will instead be replaced by Andrew McCabe, the FBI acting director.
“There are so many unanswered questions that only Mr. Comey can answer,” Schumer said. “It’s the right thing to do. We ought to hear from Mr. Comey.”
