Rep. Darrell Issa told HBO talk show host Bill Maher that the US House and Senate need to go around Trump-appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate President Trump’s possible Russian ties. The Trump administration has denied illegal connections with the Russians, even after National Security Adviser Mike Flynn was forced to resign after revelations that he had illegal contact with the Russians while on Trump’s team as a civilian. Republicans like Issa (and notably John McCain) are as anxious as congressional Democrats about Russian meddling and the possibility of Trump’s being compromised by undisclosed ties. Issa told Maher that the investigation would proceed and he believed a special prosecutor was needed. Calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin a dangerous murder, Issa said to Maher:
“You cannot have somebody — a friend of mine, Jeff Sessions, who was on the campaign and who is an appointee [do the investigation of Trump’s Russian ties]. You’re going to need to use the special prosecutor’s statute and office.”
Congress most memorably sicced a special prosecutor on a sitting president when Ken Starr investigated Bill Clinton. Starr was given a very wide berth and ended up with information leading to Clinton’s impeachment in 1998. American intelligence agencies believe Russia interfered with the American presidential election in Trump’s favor. But questions remain about Trump’s possible knowledge of — or even alleged collusion with these Russian efforts — especially given mysteries surrounding Trump’s personal finances and how much Trump-owned businesses may owe Russian entities.
