By: DPW Chair, Martha Laning
Like many of you, I was shocked when the news broke last week that President Trump had fired his FBI Director, James Comey. Immediately I thought that it was an affront to Democracy for the President to fire the very person leading an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. As DNC Chair Tom Perez said after the news broke, we need to wake up and smell the cover up.
Make no mistake, President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey is a dangerous abuse of power and a dangerous, transparent move to interfere with the FBI’s investigation into his campaign’s possible collusion with Russia during the election.
The White House’s narrative about Comey’s firing is breaking down with each passing day as it becomes more clear that Trump fired him out of anger at the widening Russia investigation, and not the recommendation of officials at the Department of Justice, as Trump has even admitted that he was thinking about how the Russia investigation should be over when he made the decision to fire Comey. And while testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, acting FBI Director McCabe refuted multiple pieces of the White House story about Comey. Contrary to the White House’s claims, McCabe said that FBI agents had not lost faith in Comey and that agents around the country were shocked and disheartened by Comey’s firing.
This is the clearest evidence yet that we need a special prosecutor at the DOJ and an independent commission.Trump’s firing of Comey is the latest and most vivid evidence that we cannot allow the Russia investigations to be buried by a corrupt Administration and complicit Republican leaders in Congress.
I encourage you all to call members of Congress and demand they come together to pass legislation for a 9-11 style, bipartisan independent commission to conduct the kind of thorough, honest investigation that the American people deserve – and call for a special prosecutor appointed to oversee the DOJ’s work on the Russia investigation.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin: 202-224-5653
Sen. Ron Johnson: 202-224-5323
Speaker Paul Ryan: 202-225-3031
Rep. Mark Pocan: 202-225-2906
Rep. Ron Kind: 202-225-5506
Rep. Gwen Moore: 202-225-4572
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner: 202-225-5101
Rep. Glen Grothman: 202-225-2476
Rep. Sean Duffy: 202-225-3365
Rep, Mike Gallagher: 202-225-5665