Graham: Special prosecutor on Russia may be necessary

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday said that if the FBI finds any criminal activity related to President Trump’s campaign aides’ alleged contact with Russian officials, then Attorney General Jeff Sessions should step aside for a special prosecutor.

“If there is something there, and it goes up the chain of investigation, it is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about Trump,” Graham said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night.

{mosads}The question was presented to Graham following a report in The Washington Post that Sessions spoke to Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, twice during the presidential campaign.

“There may be nothing there,” Graham said. “But if there is something there that the FBI believes is criminal in nature, then for sure you need a special prosecutor.”

“If there were contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, they may be legitimate; they may be OK. I want to know what happened between the Trump campaign, the [Hillary] Clinton campaign and the Russians,” he said.

Graham, who served in the Senate with Sessions, voted for his confirmation as Trump’s attorney general.

Democrats and some Republicans have said that Sessions, a major Trump backer during the campaign, may need to remove himself from any investigations or legal proceedings that stem from the investigations into Russian attempts to help Trump win the White House.