After Trump Fires Comey, McCollum Calls for Special Prosecutor, Independent Investigation

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) released the following statement calling for a special prosecutor and an independent commission following President Donald Trump's termination of FBI Director James Comey:

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation is presently conducting a highly sensitive and consequential criminal investigation to determine whether President Donald Trump and his associates colluded with Russia to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. This is an investigation that could clear Mr. Trump and his associates of any wrongdoing or destroy Mr. Trump's presidency. Either way, the American people deserve the facts and the truth. For President Trump to fire FBI Director James Comey at this critical juncture can only be viewed as a brazen act by the White House to undermine this investigation in the name of self-preservation.

"After Mr. Trump's meddling, the only legitimate path forward is for a special prosecutor to pursue this criminal investigation of Trump and his associates. Furthermore, Congress must establish and provide the necessary resources for a nonpartisan independent commission to follow the facts on Russian interference in our democracy. My Democratic colleagues and I are ready to put both a special prosecutor and an independent commission in place. The only thing standing in the way of transparency and accountability are House and Senate Republicans who continue to put party over country and are complicit in hiding the truth from the American people."