AG Shapiro Joins 20 State Attorneys General In Pushing For A Special Prosecutor

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pennsylvania state Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined 20 of his colleagues in asking U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel to investigate the relationship, if any, between President Trump, his campaign, and Russians in the 2016 presidential election.

"The president's action just a couple days ago in firing [FBI director] Jim Comey have led to people questioning our justice system," Shapiro told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Thursday.

The letter, authored by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy, was signed by AGs from larger states like California, New York, and Illinois.

They wrote Rosenstein, in part, "The residents of our states and the American people deserve a thorough investigation that makes clear the extent of Russian meddling, any collusion by Trump campaign officials, and any cover-up."

"Only the appointment of an independent special counsel . . . with full powers and resources, can begin to restore public confidence."

"In the partisan realm of Congress or in the Justice Department where people no longer have faith in the process, that is not the best forum for this review," said Shapiro.

"The best forum for this review is by an independent special prosecutor."

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who condemned the president's firing of Comey, supports an independent prosecutor, saying the White House can't even get its story straight.

"There's a lot of chaos and a lot of inconsistency.  Inconsistency might be a charitable word here," he told Jon Delano.

Casey says the president is stonewalling.

"Unfortunately right now, I think the country is scratching their head and wondering, when are we going to get clarity from the president, when are we going to get answers from the Justice Department, and when are they going to appoint a special counsel who is independent."

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter