In the wake of President Trump’s surprise firing of FBI director James Comey, Democrats are redoubling their calls for an independent investigation into Russian election interference, including any potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russi.
Comey has been the target of Democratic criticism since late October, when he sent lawmakers a letter revealing that his agency had uncovered new emails relevant to the then-closed Hillary Clinton investigation. Less than two weeks before the presidential election, that letter leaked to the public and reignited controversy around Clinton’s use of a private email server.
But Democratic lawmakers were taken aback by Comey’s removal Tuesday and questioned whether the firing was related to an FBI counterintelligence investigation that includes the nature of any potential Trump campaign ties to the Kremlin.
“The first question the administration has to answer is, why now?” Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said, citing the ongoing House, Senate, and FBI investigations into Russian interference in the election. “Were these investigations getting too close to home for the president?”
Schumer called on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation.
“The only way the American people can have faith in this investigation is for it to be led by a fearless, independent special prosecutor,” he told reporters.
Rosenstein explained his opposition to Comey Tuesday in a memo. He cited Comey’s controversial July press conference, during which the then-director announced that he would not recommend charges in the Clinton email investigation.
Virginia senator Mark Warner, the second-ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters that Comey’s firing makes his committee’s investigation more vital and called to redouble its pace.
“Our investigation is more important than ever,” he said. “We need a special prosecutor … and we need this Senate investigation to go full steam ahead.”
“If you try to start connecting the dots between all these individuals who have been fired, if you start connecting the dots between those individuals who have had to recuse themselves, what you see are ties between Russia and folks affiliated with the Trump operation,” he told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
A number of other Democrats reiterated calls for an independent investigation on Tuesday.
Dick Durbin, Democratic whip in the Senate, questioned whether Comey’s firing could shutter the FBI investigation.
“The termination and removal of James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation raises the critical question as to whether the FBI investigation of Russian interference … will continue,” said Durbin. “I renew my call for an independent counsel and a special commission to fully investigate the Russian interference.”
Pennsylvania senator Bob Casey made a most unflattering comparison.
“This is Nixonian,” he said in a statement. “Rosenstein must immediately appoint a special counsel to continue the Trump/Russia investigation.”
Oregon senator Ron Wyden said that he had been a long-standing critic of Comey’s, but described the timing of the dismissal as “outrageous.”
“There can be no question that a fully independent special counsel must be appointed to lead this investigation,” Wyden said in a statement. “No one in Trump’s chain of command can be trusted to carry out an impartial investigation.”
Wyden suggested that Comey be called to testify about the status of the Russia investigation at the time of his firing.
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin said the administration should shed more light on the circumstances of the sudden firing.
“The more transparency and the quicker they can put some clarity to this of the reasoning and rationale would be very helpful,” Manchin told TWS.
