Grassley Urges FBI To Confirm Whether Trump Is Under Investigation

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa,  makes a statement during the second day of a confirmation hearing for Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, makes a statement during the second day of a confirmation hearing for Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Capitol Hill in Washingt... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, makes a statement during the second day of a confirmation hearing for Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) MORE LESS
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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday called on the FBI to make public whether or not President Donald Trump is under federal investigation.

In prepared remarks for a Thursday committee meeting, Grassley cited Trump’s statement on the firing of FBI Director James Comey, in which the President claimed that Comey told him he was not under investigation no less than three times. Grassley argued that the FBI now is obligated to confirm to the public whether that’s true.

The senator said that he “heard nothing that contradicted the President’s statement” when he was briefed by Comey, but noted that Comey is no longer leading the FBI.

“On Tuesday, the President’s letter said that Director Comey told him he was not under investigation. Senator Feinstein and I heard nothing that contradicted the President’s statement,” the prepared remarks read. “Now Mr. Comey is no longer the FBI director. But the FBI should still follow my advice. It should confirm to the public whether it is or is not investigating the President. Because it has failed to make this clear, speculation has run rampant.”

“The intelligence community said that one of the Russians’ goals is to undermine the American public’s faith in our democratic institutions,” the remarks continued. “Wild speculation that the FBI is targeting the President in a criminal or intelligence inquiry is not just irresponsible and unfounded. It provides aid and comfort to the Russians and their goal of undermining faith in our democracy.”

Grassley said that the “American people deserve to know if senior government officials are under active criminal or intelligence investigation.”

He also said that senators on the Judiciary Committee should receive a briefing from the FBI before doing “anything more on this matter.”

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