Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., continued Democratic calls for a special prosecutor to takeover and lead the investigation into Russian involvement and their potential ties to President Trump.
The Senate Democratic leader said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning that an independent investigation into possible ties between Trump and Russia is needed now more than ever and that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should move the investigation out of the hands of the administration.
“If there was ever a time when circumstances warranted a special prosecutor, it is right now,” Schumer said. “Mr. Rosenstein already expressed concern that Director Comey damaged the integrity of the FBI. The attorney general already had to recuse himself from the investigation for being too close to the president.”
“If Mr. Rosenstein is true to his word, that he believes this investigation must be ‘fair, free, thorough and politically independent,’ if he believes as I do that the American people must be able to have faith in the impartiality in this investigation, he must appoint a special prosecutor and get his investigation out of the hands of the FBI and far away from the heavy hand of this administration,” Schumer said.
Schumer: “If there was ever a time when circumstances warranted a special prosecutor, it is right now” pic.twitter.com/XF44VMapVA
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 10, 2017
The comments came minutes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hit Schumer and Senate Democrats for “complaining” about Comey’s ouster after pushing for his firing for much of the past year.
McConnell also pointed to Schumer’s comments just prior to the November election that he lost confidence in Comey’s ability to lead the FBI forward over his handing of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and private server.
