CNN's Chris Cuomo said President Trump firing FBI Director James Comey due to a memo from Assistant Attorney General Ros Rosenstein was "B.S." He asked how can anyone have confidence in somebody like Trump to not influence special counsel Mueller's investigation.



"We are living a very big moment right now. How will lawmakers respond to the president's clear intent to influence this Russian investigation, even after the appointment of a special counsel? We have lawmakers from both sides ahead who are players," Cuomo teased Thursday morning.



From his interview with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on today's broadcast of CNN's New Day:





CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: A special counsel is now in place on the Russia investigation, and the president calls it part of the greatest witch hunt in history. This morning he's tweeting exactly that.



Joining us now, Democratic whip, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. He serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is investigating Russian meddling in the U.S. election.



There had been debate, even with Rod Rosenstein, about whether or not special counsel was necessary. I guess these tweets kind of make that need all the more clear. What is your response to the president calling this the greatest witch hunt ever and saying that all the illegal acts by Hillary Clinton during the campaign and in the Obama administration did not warrant the same? Do you agree? What do you say to the president?



SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: I'd say to the president he should get to know Bob Mueller, as I did, over 12 years when he was director of FBI. He's smart. He's principled. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll put country first when it comes to this investigation. This won’t be a witch hunt. He’s going to follow the facts and the evidence wherever they lead. And I trust that he’ll come to the right conclusion, whatever it may be.



This president has no one to blame by himself for the mess that he's in. Things that he has done, things he has said, tweets that he continues to incisively release just made his life much more complicated.



CUOMO: He just fired the FBI director. The White House tried to pass it off as being about a memo from Rosenstein. We now know that was basically B.S. Do you have any confidence at all that you can keep the most powerful man in our government from influencing this investigation?



DURBIN: Well, I certainly had doubts until last night when Bob Mueller was named. I don't have any question about his principals, nor his strength, his moral strength, when it comes to this assignment. I know him. I know how he served our country in the military, as well as a federal judge, how he was re-upped, if you will, as director of the FBI because of the bipartisan confidence we had in his performance. He's the right person for this job.