Democrats are threatening to slow the Senate to a crawl in response to President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Democrats fired a warning shot Wednesday.

"Because of the decision last night by the president of the United States to terminate the director of the FBI and the questions that its raised we gathered together, the Democratic senators on the floor, and listened as our leader at least suggested a path for us to follow as an institution facing this constitutional question," Durbin said from the Senate floor.

The Democrats' move also abruptly ended a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that had already started.

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Schumer also demanded that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein not be the one to appoint a special prosecutor for an investigation into Russia's meddling in the election, should one be named, and that Comey needs to meet with the Senate.

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee announced that Comey had been invited to testify in a closed session on Tuesday, meaning it is not public.

Spokesmen for Durbin and Schumer did not respond to requests for comment on whether Democrats would try similar tactics this week to slow Senate proceedings. Murphy said there wasn't "consensus" yet on playing procedural hardball.

"I think this is 12 hours old, and I think we have to give a little bit of time for Republicans to have their own conversations and perhaps rise to the occasion," he said.

Wednesday isn't the first time Democrats have tried to leverage the Senate schedule.

Republicans used the procedural tactic when they were in the minority to try stall Obama's nominees.

Senate committees can still meet, but under the Senate's "two-hour rule,” they are limited to meeting during the first two hours after the Senate convenes.

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing ended abruptly Wednesday after word spread that Senate Democrats were planning a slowdown of committee business.

"At a minimum, the decision to fire Comey raises questions about the appropriateness and timing of firing the person in charge of an investigation that could — I won’t say would, but could — implicate the administration. To have this happen, and happen now, is beyond surprising," she said during the hearing.