Schumer says Democrats should block a new FBI director until a special Russia prosecutor is appointed

(Image credit: CNN)

published 14 May 2017

Senate Democrats should refuse to confirm a new FBI director to replace James Comey until a special prosecutor is appointed to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a CNN interview Sunday. President Trump said this week he was thinking about "this Russia thing" when he decided to fire Comey, who reportedly requested more resources to investigate Russian election meddling shortly before he was sacked.

"We will have to discuss it as a caucus, but I would support that move because who the FBI director is, is related to who the special prosecutor is," Schumer told Jake Tapper on State of the Union. "Yes, I think there are a lot of Democrats who feel that way," he continued, because to "have that special prosecutor, people would breathe a sigh of relief because then there would be a real independent person overlooking the FBI director."

The Senate minority leader said he hopes congressional Republicans will support an independent investigation and demand an FBI director who will make that prospect more likely. "The key here, of course, is getting some of our Republican colleagues to join us," Schumer said. "We're hoping. We're waiting. We understand it's difficult, but I think patriotism and the needs of this country demand it." Watch the full interview below. Bonnie Kristian

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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.

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