SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced May 11 that he has joined Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and a coalition of 20 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Justice to appoint an independent special counsel to look into possible Russian interference in the presidential election.
The coalition sent a letter to U.S. Department of Justice deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, calling the firing of FBI Director James Comey “a violation of public trust.”
“As prosecutors committed to the rule of law, we urge you to consider the damage to our democratic system of any attempts by the administration to derail and de-legitimize the investigation,” the letter states.
The attorneys general also argue that the residents in their states “deserve a thorough investigation that makes clear the extent of Russian meddling, any collusion by Trump campaign officials and any cover-up.”
Becerra was joined in the letter by attorneys general from Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and Washington.