Story highlights "It's something they should certainly look at," Sarah Sanders said

She acknowledged that it was "not the President's role" to direct investigations

(CNN) The White House on Tuesday said the Justice Department should consider a criminal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, claiming he had leaked privileged information to the press and offered false testimony to Congress.

"It's something they should certainly look at," press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters when asked whether the administration should prosecute Comey. She acknowledged that it was "not the President's role" to determine which criminal investigations are taken up by the Justice Department.

The question arose as Sanders defended Trump's decision to fire Comey earlier this year, a choice Trump's former chief strategist called a mistake this week.

Sanders countered that Trump has been "very happy with the decision" to fire Comey and felt "fully vindicated."

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