WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Congressional Democrats on Thursday (Nov 8) demanded emergency hearings in the US House of Representatives to investigate President Donald Trump's ouster of Attorney-General Jeff Sessions, calling the move an effort to undermine a federal probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.
Trump forced the resignation of Sessions on Wednesday, a day after elections in which his fellow Republicans lost control of the House but increased their majority in the Senate.
In a letter saying the move placed the country "in the throes of a constitutional crisis," House Judiciary Committee Democrats demanded action from the panel's Republican Chairman Bob Goodlatte, and called for bipartisan legislation to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from any effort to stymie the probe.
A spokeswoman for Goodlatte had no comment on the letter.
Mueller is investigating Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election and any collusion by Trump's campaign. Trump, who denies any collusion, has long complained about the probe, calling it a witch hunt. He had frequently publicly castigated Sessions for recusing himself last year from the case.
Trump named Sessions' chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, as acting attorney-general, saying he would soon nominate a permanent replacement for review by the Senate.
That drew criticism from Democrats because Whitaker, who would now take over responsibility for overseeing Mueller and his investigation, has been critical of the Mueller probe, saying it should be scaled back.
Separately, House Judiciary Democrats called on Whitaker in a letter to recuse himself and keep the Mueller investigation under the supervision of Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein, a career Justice Department official who has given the special counsel full scope to pursue leads.
Rosenstein had the role of supervising the probe because of Sessions' recusal.
Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from overseeing the Mueller probe, the Washington Post reported. Reuters was not able to confirm the report.
The Democrats said they also want the Justice Department to protect the integrity of Mueller's investigation and to preserve relevant documents.
"The forced firing of Attorney-General Sessions appears to be part of an ongoing pattern of behavior by the president seeking to undermine (the) investigation into Russian interference," said the letter to Goodlatte, written by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the committee's top Democrat, and 16 other Democrats who sit on the panel.
Nadler is expected to become House Judiciary chairman when a Democratic House majority, elected in Tuesday's midterm elections, takes over in the new Congress that convenes in January.
"The president's actions have plunged the country into peril," the Democrats added. "By forcing the firing (of) the attorney general, the president now threatens the rule of law itself."
On Wednesday, Goodlatte issued a statement praising Sessions' service as attorney general and wishing Whitaker well in his new role.
Bipartisan Bills to protect Mueller from politically motivated removal have been introduced in the House and Senate. One was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in April, making it eligible for a full Senate vote. But no action is expected.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell blocked consideration of the Senate bill earlier this year. His spokesman said on Thursday that McConnell has no further comment on the legislation.
House Democrats said on Wednesday that they would attempt to include a measure protecting Mueller into an appropriations bill that Congress is due to consider later this year.
When the Democrats take over the House, they are expected to launch numerous probes of Trump and his administration.
Moscow denies interfering in the 2016 election.
