In the wake of President Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says a special prosecutor is not needed to investigate Russia’s interference in last year’s presidential election.
Democrats — including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Congressman John Yarmuth of Kentucky — ramped up calls for an independent investigation into Russia’s meddling after Comey’s abrupt removal.
On the Senate Floor, McConnell dismissed the requests.
“Today we’ll no doubt hear calls for a new investigation, which could only serve to impede the current work being done,” McConnell said.
Trump fired Comey on Tuesday saying it was necessary for a “new beginning” at the FBI. In a letter explaining his actions, Trump cited Comey’s handling of the investigation into former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Comey announced two weeks before last year’s presidential election that the FBI had reopened an investigation into Clinton’s alleged mishandling of classified information by storing emails on a private server.
Many Democrats criticized Comey for the notices, which Clinton herself recently said contributed to her electoral loss.
On Tuesday, McConnell accused Democrats of being hypocritical.
“Our Democratic colleagues [are] complaining about the removal of an FBI director whom they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticized,” McConnell said.
This story will be updated.
