Over the coming days and weeks, I will be monitoring the escalating collective voice calling for an independent investigation of trump, which is the only way that will be trusted by all Americans. The calls for an independent committee, counsel, investigator, prosecutor, what ever you may want to call it, are being lodged from all quarters.
At a meeting of Democratic state Attorneys General in Oregon last week, the group authored, signed and sent a letter to Rod Rosenstein calling for the immediate appointment of an independent special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. The letter notes that “As prosecutors committed to the rule of law, we urge you to consider the damage to our democratic system of any attempts by the administration to derail and delegitimize the investigation.” The letter calls Director Comey's firing by trump during his ongoing investigation “a violation of the public trust.” The states represented by the signatures on the letter are Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and Washington.
John McCain is on record as saying he is “disappointed in [trump's] decision”. He also noted that trump's behavior has bolstered the case “for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.”
Richard Burr a Republican from North Carolina and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee reported that “[he is] troubled by the timing and reasoning of Jim Comey’s termination”. Mr. Burr said in a statement, "[It] further confuses an already difficult investigation by our committee,” and added that Mr. Comey had been “more forthcoming with
information” than any of his predecessors.
information” than any of his predecessors.
The Democratic vice chairman of the Senate intell panel, Mark Warner of Virginia, said in a brief interview that Mr. Comey’s firing “means the Senate Intelligence investigation has to redouble its efforts, has to speed up its timeline, because we’ve got real questions about the rule of law.”
California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein renewed her call for the appointment of a special prosecutor and said trump's startling decision to fire Comey now is “beyond surprising.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters, last Tuesday, "I have said from the get-go that I think a special prosecutor is the way to go, but now with what's happened it is the only way to go."
Another report I read quoted Senator McCain from a statement he released saying "I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 election [trump's] decision to remove the FBI Director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee."
Again, from a CNBC online posting, Senator Burr, is reported as saying in his statement that he considered the fired FBI director "to be a public servant of the highest order. Director Comey has been more forthcoming with information than any FBI Director I can recall in my tenure on the congressional intelligence committees. His dismissal, I believe, is a loss for the Bureau and the nation."
Republican Representative Justin Amash, from Michigan, serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Representative Amash is a member of the very conservative Freedom Caucus. In a tweet (which as I have said is a poor method of legitimate communication, but it's what I've got) said:
✔@justinamash
My staff and I are reviewing legislation to establish an independent commission on Russia. The second paragraph of [trump's] letter [firing Comey] is bizarre. https://twitter.com/cnn/status/862082478839914497 …
7:37 PM - 9 May 2017
Even Breitbart is jumping on the band wagon. I found the following headline:
Lindsey Graham: Trump Needs to ‘Back Off’ Russian Investigation, Stop Tweeting
You have one choice: Appoint a special counsel who is independent of both the department and the White House. No one else would have the standing to assure the public it is getting the truth. While a handful of Republican senators and representatives expressed concern at Mr. Comey’s firing, there is as yet no sign that the congressional investigations into Russian interference will be properly staffed or competently run. And Americans can have little faith that the Justice Department, or an F.B.I. run by [m]r. [t]rump’s handpicked replacement, will get to the bottom of whether and how Russia helped steal the presidency for [m]r. [t]rump.
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