GOP’s Amash calls for independent commission on Russia after Comey’s firing

A House Republican is calling for an independent commission to examine Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election after President Trump’s bombshell decision to fire FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said on Twitter that he is “reviewing legislation to establish an independent commission on Russia.”

The lawmaker called a paragraph in Trump’s letter firing Comey “bizarre.” In that section, Trump claims Comey assured him multiple times that he wasn’t under investigation.

My staff and I are reviewing legislation to establish an independent commission on Russia. The second paragraph of this letter is bizarre. https://t.co/wXeDtVIQiP

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 9, 2017

“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau,” Trump wrote to Comey.

{mosads}The FBI has been for months looking at whether Moscow coordinated with anyone in Trump’s campaign to influence the election in the billionaire businessman’s favor. The House and Senate Intelligence committees are also investigating.

Democrats and a handful of other Republicans who previously called for an independent commission or prosecutor on Russia reiterated their support for the idea on Tuesday.

Critics have questioned whether Trump’s decision to fire Comey was an attempt to sway the FBI’s Russia investigation, with many questioning the timing of Comey’s dismissal.