While some congressional Republicans signaled they supported President Trump’s Tuesday decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, at least a few have expressed discomfort with the decision, which took Capitol Hill off guard.
The Republican overseeing the Senate Intelligence Committee’s probe into Russian meddling in the presidential election — an issue the FBI, under Comey, was also investigating — said in a statement he was “troubled by the timing and the reasoning” of Trump’s removal of the FBI Director.
“His dismissal further confuses an already difficult investigation by the Committee,” Intel Committee Chair Richard Burr said (R-NC).
The FBI investigation into Russia’s influence in the presidential election is said to include an examination of Trump campaign contacts with Russia. Comey, in public comments, has stopped short of saying whether the Trump was also being investigated.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he was “disappointed” by the Trump’s removal of Comey, whom McCain called a “man of honor and integrity”
“I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 election,” McCain said in a statement. “The president’s decision to remove the FBI Director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee.”
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said in a statement of his own that the timing of Trump’s decision “will raise questions.”
In a letter announcing Comey’s termination, Trump said he “greatly appreciate[d]” Comey informing him “on three separate occasions” that he was “not under investigation.”
Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), who is known for his independent streak, pointed to the “bizarre” sentence specifically, while hinting he could push a bill setting up an independent commission.
My staff and I are reviewing legislation to establish an independent commission on Russia. The second paragraph of this letter is bizarre. https://t.co/wXeDtVIQiP
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 9, 2017
