A Republican Congressman from Peoria is expressing surprise at what he’s calling the abrupt dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood says Director Comey has dedicated his entire career to protecting the citizens of the country and upholding the rule of law. The 18th District Congressman says he wants to know more about the reasons for Comey's dismissal.
Rep. LaHood says he still has faith in the ongoing investigations by both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
“Both of these committees are bipartisan, and they work in a collaborative way. We want to see what the conclusion is from both the Senate and the House and see where that goes," LaHood said. "It’s very, very serious, there’s a lot of unknowns there, and we need to get to the bottom of it.”
LaHood says he supports their efforts to investigate Trump’s ties to Russia.
Comey served as federal prosecutor, the Deputy Attorney General at the US Department of Justice before he became the Director of the FBI.
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also weighed in on Comey's firing in a statement to the media.
“The President’s actions transcend any one individual and raise significant concerns over the basic rule of law," Duckworth said. "Especially if they are intended to dissuade criminal investigators from digging too deep into Trump Administration officials and associates – or even the President himself."
Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, says she's urging for an independent investigation into the Trump administration’s ties to Russia.