20 attorneys general call for independent probe into Russia

Congress, however, has no say in whether there would be one.

The California lawmaker is at least the second Democratic senator to call for Sessions to resign in the wake of Comey's firing this week, joining Sen.

Staying out of it could have been seen as suspicious, giving critics ammunition to argue Sessions did so because there was a connection between the firing and the Russian Federation probe, Chong said.

Sessions recommended Comey's firing, writing in a letter that "a fresh start is needed at the leadership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation".

The White House, meanwhile, maintained that Mr. Comey's firing had nothing to do with the Russian Federation investigation.

A group of 20 attorneys general is calling for the appointment of an independent special counsel to continue the investigation into Russian interference in last year's presidential election. Rosenstein also wrote a memo blasting Comey's handling of the email probe.

She said an effective memo would have to have more substance as well as cite case law and Department of Justice regulations.

Comey's ouster was in the works since at least Monday, with Trump giving Sessions and Rosenstein a directive to provide a written explanation for firing Comey, The Washington Post reported. "This is a complete betrayal of his commitment to the public that he wouldn't be involved in the investigation".

"It's still an important question to understanding how the decision was made", she said.

As Rosenstein sees it, there is always a politician somewhere calling for a special prosecutor on some investigation, and he believes the Department of Justice should not be handing off those investigations just because they are politically charged. Comey took the extra step of giving Fitzgerald complete discretion to conduct the investigation, bolstering the special counsel's independence.