Darrell Issa calls for special prosecutor to investigate Trump's ties to Russia

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told Bill Maher on HBO's "Real Time" Friday that a special prosecutor should be appointed to probe President Donald Trump's potential ties to Russia.

Issa, former chair of the House Oversight Committee, was careful to acknowledge that there "may or may not be fault" with regard to Trump and his associates' ties to Putin and Moscow. But he added that Americans are beginning to understand that Putin and his lackeys are bad actors that commit crimes, up to and including murder.

The congressman also said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, because he was both a part of the Trump campaign and then later appointed by Trump as head of the Department of Justice, should not take the lead on such an investigation.

"You cannot have somebody, a friend of mine Jeff Sessions, who was on the campaign and who is an appointee," the California Republican said in response to a question from host Bill Maher. "You're going to need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office to take — not just to recuse. You can't just give it to your deputy. That's another political appointee."

Issa was a supporter of Trump during his 2016 campaign, and was hence a target for Democrats who sought to block his bid for a ninth term in the House. He is considered a top Democratic target in the upcoming 2018 mid-term elections due to his narrow win to keep his seat in 2016, and the fact that Hillary Clinton soundly defeated Trump in Issa's home state of California during the presidential race.

According to the Politico, Trump vouched for Issa during the congressman's 2016 bid, tweeting on Nov. 1: "@DarrellIssa is a very good man. Help him win his congressional seat in California."