Top Republicans, including the senator directing the Senate’s Russia investigation, said Tuesday they were «troubled» by President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey.
«I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination, » Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, said in a statement.
While Democrats slammed Trump’s decision on Comey as «Nixonian, » members of his own party expressed reservations.
Arizona Sen. John McCain said he was «disappointed» by the incident. Sen. Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and occasionally advised the Trump campaign last year, said he also had concerns.
Rep. Justin Amash, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said in a tweet that he would introduce legislation supporting the creation of an independent commission to investigate Russia’s interference in the election.
Amash is one of four Republicans who have signed on to legislation that would force Trump to release his tax returns.
«While the case for removal of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey laid out by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein was thorough, his removal at this particular time will raise questions, » Corker said in a statement. «It is essential that ongoing investigations are fulsome and free of political interference until their completion, and it is imperative that President Trump nominate a well-respected and qualified individual to lead the bureau at this critical time.»
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