Washington: Aftershocks from President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James B. Comey roiled Congress on Wednesday, as key Republicans criticised Trump's decision and Democrats slowed committee business to protest the lack of an independent investigation into Russia's election meddling.
Lawmakers also began to confirm reports that the Justice Department has denied - that Comey sought more resources for his probe into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government shortly before he was fired.
More World News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:12
White House: Comey carried out ...
White House: Comey carried out 'atrocities'
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the former FBI Director 'circumvented the chain of command' which led US President Trump to fire him.
Up Next
Sara Connor's sentence increased on appeal
- Video duration
- 01:59
- Video duration
- 01:59
Sara Connor's sentence increased on appeal
Sara Connor's sentence increased on appeal
Australian woman Sara Connor has had her jail sentence increased to five years for the fatal group assault of a Bali police officer after the prosecution appealed to the High Court. Vision courtesy ABC News.
Up Next
A chamber of mummies uncovered
- Video duration
- 01:13
- Video duration
- 01:13
A chamber of mummies uncovered
A chamber of mummies uncovered
Egypt unearths an ancient burial site replete with at least 17 mummies, both adults and children.
Up Next
Shock and spin: 24hrs of Comey-sacking reaction
- Video duration
- 01:46
- Video duration
- 01:46
Shock and spin: 24hrs of Comey-sacking ...
Shock and spin: 24hrs of Comey-sacking reaction
Donald Trump's shock firing of FBI Director James Comey has drawn mixed reactions and raised questions among politicians, commentators and the public.
Up Next
Global cyber attack cripples British health service
- Video duration
- 01:08
- Video duration
- 01:08
Global cyber attack cripples British ...
Global cyber attack cripples British health service
There has been a major cyber attack on a number of organisations across the globe with Russia and Britain's health system appearing to be the worst affected. Vision courtesy ABC
Up Next
Ivory Coast army to quell mutiny
- Video duration
- 00:33
- Video duration
- 00:33
Ivory Coast army to quell mutiny
Ivory Coast army to quell mutiny
Ivory Coast has launched a military operation "to re-establish order" on the third day of a nationwide army mutiny over bonus payments.
Up Next
James Clapper: US 'under assault' from Trump
- Video duration
- 01:17
- Video duration
- 01:17
James Clapper: US 'under assault' from ...
James Clapper: US 'under assault' from Trump
Former US director of National Intelligence James Clapper tells CNN that President Donald Trump is undermining the nation's institutions after his decision last week to fire FBI director James Comey.
Up Next
North Korea's leader in 'state of paranoia'
- Video duration
- 01:26
- Video duration
- 01:26
North Korea's leader in 'state of ...
North Korea's leader in 'state of paranoia'
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, blasted North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch saying it stemmed from leader Kim Jong Un's 'state of paranoia'.
White House: Comey carried out 'atrocities'
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the former FBI Director 'circumvented the chain of command' which led US President Trump to fire him.
"I understand that there have been additional requests. That's all I can say," Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, told reporters at midday.
A chaotic morning had already unfolded in the upper chamber, as Democrats gathered on the Senate floor, invoked an obscure Senate rule that prevents committee hearings from continuing past midday and then met to discuss how to intensify their push for a special prosecutor.
Related Content
Meanwhile, the Republican leader of the Intelligence Committee said Comey's firing will frustrate bipartisan efforts to investigate Russian interference in the election and any possible ties between the Kremlin and associates of Trump.
Senator Richard Burr, met with Comey on Monday, a congressional aide confirmed.
"[The firing] creates challenges for the committee," Burr told reporters. "An interruption in any of the access we have to the documents or the personnel would be harmful to our investigation. It wouldn't in any way shape or form preclude us from coming to a conclusion, but it might delay us."
Senator Mark R. Warner the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said he and Burr invited Comey to testify before their panel on Tuesday of next week. "We've not heard back," Warner told MSNBC. "My hope is that he [Comey] will take advantage of this opportunity."
While Republican leadership worked to deflect the flood of criticism hitting the White House, Vice President Mike Pence repeated Trump's 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 Trump's decision.
House lawmakers, who were a week-long recess, were not in Washington.
Senate committee business shut down by noon on Wednesday after Democrats invoked the two-hour rule, which prevents committee hearings from lasting more than two hours after the Senate convenes.
And though Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer publicly requested a closed-door briefing for all senators on Trump's decision to fire Comey, the minority party appeared undecided on further steps as members emerged from a lunchtime strategy session.
The boldest, most extreme step Democrats could take is to slow Senate business to a crawl. They could refuse to allow consideration of any legislation or nominees awaiting confirmation votes until Trump agrees to appoint a special prosecutor.
And 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.
But some Democrats said they wanted to give Republicans time to form their own response.
"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 Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as he left the meeting.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, 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.
"It's about the integrity of law enforcement," she said.
Republican Party leadership stood up for the president.
"Our Democratic colleagues [are] complaining about the removal of an FBI director whom they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticised," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor. "That removal is being done by a man, [Deputy Attorney General] Rod J. Rosenstein, who they repeatedly and effusively praised."
Republican Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, dismissed the notion Trump fired Comey to impede the FBI's 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 heightens the attention given to the issue."
Among Republicans, only Senator John McCain, 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 Trump's 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 are casting doubt on the decision to fire Comey, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, and Sen. Jeff 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: "I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing. I just can't do it."
Washington Post
embellishing