Updated, 4:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump's move to fire FBI Director James Comey shocked Washington Tuesday night. It's only the second time in American history an FBI Director has been dismissed in the middle of a term, and it comes as the FBI investigates ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Reaction from members of Congress from Kansas and Missouri was mixed.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Democrat of Kansas City, tweeted he was "deeply troubled" by the firing and called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate Russian meddling in the election.
I'm deeply troubled that @realDonaldTrump has fired the person in charge of investigating his ties to Russia. https://t.co/5IgGC5n4Y8— Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (@repcleaver) May 10, 2017
The American people deserve a special prosecutor to once and for all give the real story of what occurred. #ComeyFiring— Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (@repcleaver) May 10, 2017
Meanwhile, Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a Republican from Topeka, tweeted the timing of Comey's firing was "concerning and raises questions that need to be answered," adding she has "full faith in the men and women of the FBI."
My statement on the removal of FBI Director James Comey below: pic.twitter.com/gDIaoRppNE— Lynn Jenkins (@RepLynnJenkins) May 10, 2017
Sen. Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, offered muted support for the move to fire Comey, noting he had questioned Comey's actions "more than once the past year."
My statement on James Comey pic.twitter.com/NWBR8FGTCf— Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) May 9, 2017
Sen. Jerry Moran was more circumspect. In an emailed statement, the GOP junior senator from Kansas said, "The American people deserve more information about the circumstances of Mr. Comey's dismissal. The next FBI Director must be an impartial law enforcement professional dedicated to carrying out the Bureau's critical mission of protecting the United States and its citizens."
Moran's Kansas colleague Sen. Pat Roberts, another Republican, also issued a statement that noted the Department of Justice's reasoning for recommending Comey be fired.
Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas echoed similar thoughts in a statement, saying, "I also support continued bipartisan investigations [into Russian election tampering] in Congress, and am sure they will go where the facts lead."
Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri took aim specifically at Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a statement. Sessions recommended Comey's dismissal, according to Trump's letter of termination to Comey.
KCUR also reached out to Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri and received no reply.
Kyle Palmer is KCUR's morning newscaster. You can follow him on twitter @kcurkyle.
Copyright 2017 KCUR 89.3
