[PJ] WASHINGTON ‐ Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) told PJM that recently appointed special counsel Robert Mueller should "recuse himself" from the Russia probe due to his personal friendship with former FBI Director James Comey.Mueller served 12 years as FBI director under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. For two of those years, during the Bush administration, Comey was deputy attorney general.
Comey’s congressional testimony about the FBI investigation into possible collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign was reportedly postponed so he could speak with Mueller in advance. Franks called the delay "collusion."
In an exclusive interview, Franks was asked if he thinks the Russia investigation is going to hinder President Trump’s agenda.
"It will be a challenge, but here’s what I think will happen. Now, who knows what ancillary things will come from it, that’s the problem with any sort of special counsel is that they go in all different directions at once. And, of course, Mr. Mueller is a very well-known very close friend of Mr. Comey’s ‐ that alone should cause him to recuse himself," Franks, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday on Capitol Hill.