Reaction to President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey came out quickly on Tuesday night, and numerous Illinois politicians reacted strongly to the decision. Phil Rogers reports.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Thursday joined a group of top law enforcement officials calling for a special counsel to investigate potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In a letter co-signed by 20 attorneys general from around the nation, Madigan and other top officials called the firing of FBI Director James Comey "a violation of public trust."
"As prosecutors committed to the rule of law, we urge you to consider the damage to our democratic system of any attempts by the administration to derail and delegitimize the investigation,” the letter reads.
The decision by the Trump administration to remove Comey from his position was met by criticism by Democrats, who viewed the move as a potential action toward ending the investigation by the bureau into whether Russia interfered with the 2016 election of Donald Trump to the presidency, and whether the Trump campaign had any connection to any potential interference.
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It is not clear why Attorney General Sessions, who previously claimed he would recuse himself from all Russia-related matters, was involved in firing the law enforcement official leading the Russia investigation. There are simply too many questions raised by tonight’s actions, and the American people deserve nothing less than answers from an independent investigator.
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nIt's time to appoint an non-partisan independent special counsel to investigate this Administration's Russia conflicts. The President owes it to the nation to be truthful and transparent. We cannot afford anymore diversions or double speak. Let's hold the President accountable for his actions and that starts with him owning up to someone he can't fire."
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The White House has already engaged in misdirection about fired former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s misconduct by refusing to provide investigators with documents regarding his security clearance. Today, President Trump has fired the individual most central to all the investigations into any illicit involvement with the Russian Government.
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Following revelations of his own contact with the Kremlin, Attorney General Sessions promised to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Today however, he endorsed the firing of the man leading it. FBI Director Comey was leading a counter-intelligence investigation of the President’s 2016 campaign and its ties to Russian agents. The credibility gap between the Trump Administration and the American people continues to grow each day with each new revelation.
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As a member of the House Oversight Committee, I would welcome Director Comey’s public, sworn testimony on the status of the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference and the Kremlin’s interactions with Trump associates.
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The need for an independent commission or fully independent prosecutor to investigate and bring to light the truth of these matters for the American people is now more clear than ever.”
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“In March I also called for an independent commission to look into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Today I reiterate my plea for such a bipartisan investigative commission. This is not about re-litigating the election; this is about protecting our republic going forward. We must make sure that we do everything we can to help ensure confidence in our elections going forward and to find out whether anyone in the Trump campaign was involved in colluding with Russia. This should not be about politics, it should be about making sure our nation is secure, and about protecting and strengthening our democratic institutions.”
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"We also can't ignore that this shocking decision was made in part on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Session who has recused himself from any investigations into collusion with Russia. The firing of Director Comey underscores two things: the need for a special prosecutor and the importance of our investigation in the House, as we continue our efforts to shine a light on information that this Administration is clearly trying to keep in the dark.
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"I suspect that President Trump thought this tactic would detract attention away from this critical investigation; however, it will have just the opposite effect. Our search for answers is more vital now than ever."
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n“The American people deserve the truth about Russia’s meddling in our election. The only way to preserve the public’s confidence after this executive abuse is a fully independent investigation free from political interference.”
Madigan was joined by attorneys general from 19 other states, including California, New York and Pennsylvania, and the group has joined a growing number of lawmakers and politicians calling for a special counsel to investigate allegations of Russian interference.
“We await clarification by the White House as soon as possible as to whether this investigation will continue and whether it will have a credible leader so that we know it will have a just outcome,” Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said in a statement.
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The White House cited Comey’s handling of the investigation into classified emails sent by Hillary Clinton as the reason for the dismissal, with the president saying in a letter to Comey that he had acted on the judgment of the Department of Justice.
“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau,” President Trump’s letter said.
