(Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)
Aftershocks from President Trumps firing of FBI Director James B. Comey roiled Washington on Wednesday, with Republicans divided over the presidents decision and news emerging that Comey sought more resources for a probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia shortly before he was fired.
I understand that there have been additional requests. Thats all I can say, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, told reporters. The Justice Department, meanwhile, denied those reports.
Democrats on Capitol Hill slowed committee business in the Senate to protest the lack of an independent investigation into Russias election meddling, and a growing number of Republicans questioned Trumps decision.
Comeys firing is expected to consume Capitol Hills attention until the weekend and potentially through Tuesday of next week, when the former FBI director has been invited to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The panels chairman, who met with Comey on Monday, said the directors dismissal will frustrate bipartisan efforts to investigate Russian interference in the election and any possible ties between the Kremlin and associates of Trump.
[President Trump fires FBI Director Comey]
It creates challenges for the committee, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told reporters. An interruption in any of the access we have to the documents or the personnel would be harmful to our investigation.
The emergence of yet another Trump-related controversy also threatens to slow Senate Republicans progress on their agenda, including work on a health-care bill that would lay the foundation for tax reform.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), however, downplayed the firing and sought to bring the debate back to friendlier territory.
Obamacare hasnt lived up to its promises, he said Wednesday morning on the Senate floor. Were working to keep our commitment to the American people to move beyond the failures of Obamacare.
Briefly addressing Comeys firing, McConnell accused Democrats of complaining about the removal of an FBI director who they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticized.
McConnells accusations of hypocrisy did little to subdue the controversy on Wednesday. Democrats responded by invoking an obscure rule that prevented committee hearings from continuing past midday an effort to slow the Senates work to increase pressure on Republicans to support an independent investigation.
I cant say its an ongoing strategy, said Feinstein. It certainly is for the day.
Several Democrats confirmed that Comey made a request last week for additional resources for his Russia investigation in a meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
Rosenstein is a Trump appointee who assumed office just 10 days ago. He wrote the memo that was used to justify Comeys firing; the memo, issued Tuesday, laid out the directors missteps in handling the FBI investigation into Hillary Clintons private email server.
Im told that as soon as Rosenstein arrived, there was a request for additional resources for the investigation, and a few days afterwards he was sacked, said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.).
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) outlined several Democratic demands on the Senate floor. He said the Justice Departments highest-ranking career civil servant, rather than Rosenstein, should appoint a special prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation. And he called for both Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to brief the entire Senate on the events that led to Comeys firing.
Schumer also urged Comey to testify next week.
[Comeys removal sparks fears about future of Russia probe]
There are so many unanswered questions that only Mr. Comey can answer. We Democrats hope and expect that he will still come before the Senate in some capacity, he said.
House lawmakers, away on a week-long recess, were not in Washington Wednesday. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has said nothing publicly regarding Comeys dismissal, and he declined to answer shouted questions from reporters while touring a factory outside Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday. Im not doing questions right now, he said.
Democrats in the Senate, meanwhile, could further slow down business in that chamber.
They could refuse to allow consideration of any legislation, or nominees awaiting confirmation votes, until Trump agrees to appoint a special prosecutor.
With dozens of Trump administration nominees awaiting confirmation hearings or up-or-down votes on the Senate floor, such a move would likely hamper executive branch agencies that now lack political leadership.
Some Democrats said they wanted to give Republicans time to form their own response before deciding on next steps.
This is 12 hours old. I think we have to give a little time for Republicans to have a conversation and perhaps rise to the occasion, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) as he left the meeting.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) recommended that Democrats reach out to Republicans given that a small but powerful bloc of GOP senators has voiced concerns about the Comey firing. A former county prosecutor, McCaskill said Democrats needed to pressure Republicans to join the calls for the appointment of a special counsel.
Its about the integrity of law enforcement, she said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has been calling for an independent probe since January, said he was powerfully impressed by the unanimity in our caucus behind appointing a special prosecutor, adding that everyone seems very persuaded.
While Democrats were discussing strategy, Republicans were trying to move on a sign of how unwelcome the Comey developments are for their agenda.
At a Wednesday lunch attended by Senate Republicans, Comey barely came up in the group discussion, according to attendees.
We were focused on health care and there might have been 120 seconds devoted to it, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).
No talk when I was there, said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).
Vice President Pence repeated Trumps claim that Comey informed him several times that he was not under investigation. Pence made the claim, which the White House has not substantiated, during a visit to Capitol Hill.
The simple fact is, Director Comey had lost the confidence of the American people, Pence said, defending Trumps decision.
[The shocking firing of James B. Comey puts new pressure on Trump and his team]
Republican Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) also dismissed the notion that Trump fired Comey to impede the FBIs Russia probe, calling it a phony narrative.
If you assume that, this strikes me as a lousy way to do it, he told reporters. All it does is heighten the attention given to the issue.
Among Republicans, only Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a longtime Trump foil, has called for an independent investigation separate from ongoing probes by the House and Senate intelligence panels.
In a sign of his concern about Trumps decision, McCain stunned GOP colleagues on Wednesday by voting with Democrats to block final passage of a bill to repeal federal regulations on methane gas emissions. His vote ended Republican chances of reversing yet another Obama-era rule.
Other senior Republicans cast doubt on the decision to fire Comey, including Corker and Flake, who is up for reelection next year and did not support Trump in November.
I think the White House, after multiple conversations with many people over the last 12 to 14 hours, understand that they created a really difficult situation for themselves, Corker said. To move beyond this in a way that gives the American people faith and Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate faith in future efforts is going to be a really tough and narrow path for them to follow.
Flake tweeted Tuesday night: Ive spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comeys firing. I just cant do it.
Early Wednesday, as Blumenthal appeared on morning television programs to renew his calls for a special prosecutor, Trump went after him on Twitter for embellishing his Vietnam War record during his 2010 election campaign.
When caught, he cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness and now he is judge & jury. He should be the one who is investigated for his acts, the president wrote in tweets that Murphy later described as unhinged.
Blumenthal said he was unmoved by the attack. His bullying wont silence my call for an independent prosecutor, he said.
Karoun Demirjian and Kelsey Snell contributed to this report.
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Comey firing roils Washington, prompts calls for independent investigation and divides Republicans - Washington Post