GOP congressman calls for special prosecutor in Russia investigation
Rep. Darrell Issa, the former chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Friday that a special prosecutor is needed to oversee the investigation into communications between President Trump’s associates and Russia.
In an interview on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Maher asked the California Republican if he would have let it slide if what happened to the Democrats in 2016 happened to Mitt Romney in 2012.
“No,” Issa said, adding that he also will not let the current situation slide.
He said the House and Senate Intelligence committees should pursue their investigation into the contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“You cannot have somebody, a friend of mine Jeff Sessions, who was on the campaign and who is an appointee. You’re going to need to use the special prosecutor’s statute and office to take — not just to recuse. You can’t just give it to your deputy. That’s another political appointee,” Issa said after Maher said that Sessions, now the attorney general, should recuse himself.
Issa said that “there may or may not be fault,” but he said that the public is starting to understand that Russian President Vladimir Putin murders his enemies and is interfering in other countries’ elections in eastern Europe.
Last week, The New York Times reported that some Trump campaign officials and other associates had repeated contact with Russian intelligence before the election last November. Sources told CBS News the FBI has questioned people close to the president, including retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who resigned as national security adviser earlier this month.