Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein must appoint a special counsel to lead the probe into possible ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, Sen. Bob Casey said during an appearance Wednesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"He has the power, right now, this morning, to appoint a special counsel who would be separate and apart from the Justice Department to, at a minimum, begin to finally get some answers on these Russia questions," the Pennsylvania Democrat said.
"I think for Rod Rosenstein, this is a simple pass/fail," said Casey, who serves on a Senate group on national security. "We need an independent commission, and I think we also need to consider some new mechanism where some special prosecutor can be appointed. That term doesn't exist in the law right now."
Casey said he was concerned about the timeline for the firing of FBI Director James Comey amid a probe into ties between Trump and Russia.
"You have to ask why that wasn't a major consideration during transition, if he felt so strongly.
"Once March 20 arrived and Director Comey told the world about the investigation that had been going on for months about the potential ties between the (Trump) campaign and the Russians, and that whole line of inquiry, at that moment I think the administration forfeited their opportunity to take this kind of an action," Casey said.
The appearance that wrongdoing has occurred can change a conversation, the senator said.
"I think politicians, even elected officials have to be cognizant that the appearance of impropriety can dominate and govern a circumstance. And that's what's happening here," Casey added.
The senator issued a statement Tuesday, calling Comey's firing "Nixonian."
Casey referred to President Richard Nixon's firing of independent Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox on Oct. 20, 1973, which led Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to resign.
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