Moments after news broke that President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Democratic lawmakers renewed calls for a special prosecutor to investigate the president’s and his associates’ alleged ties to the Russian government. The FBI and multiple congressional committees are investigating Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election and possible connections between the president’s campaign and Russian officials. Those calls got louder after Trump announced Comey’s firing, one day after the Senate held a hearing on potential collusion with Russia. “The only way the American people can have faith in this investigation is for it to be led by a fearless, independent special prosecutor,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) during a press conference Tuesday evening. “If Deputy Attorney General [Rod] Rosenstein does not appoint an independent special prosecutor, every American will rightly suspect that the decision to fire Director Comey was part of a cover-up.”Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who in February led calls for an independent investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to Russia, said there’s “no doubt” that an independent special prosecutor should be appointed.

Source: Huffington Post May 09, 2017 23:25 UTC