Sen. John McCain on Tuesday said President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey underscores the need for Congress to form a select committee to investigate Russian meddling in last year's presidential election.

McCain, R-Ariz., said he was "disappointed" Trump ousted Comey, the controversy-prone director of the FBI since 2013.

“James Comey is a man of honor and integrity, and he has led the FBI well in extraordinary circumstances," McCain said in a written statement. "I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The president's decision to remove the FBI Director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee.”

Trump made the decision based on the recommendations of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the White House said.

Rosenstein faulted Comey for the way he wrapped up the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information and use of a private email server. Comey wrongly “usurp(ed) the Attorney General’s authority” when he declared on July 5, 2016, that the Clinton case "should be closed without prosecution," Rosenstein wrote in a memorandum to Sessions.

McCain, the influential Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, has been pushing for a select panel to probe Russian interference in the election since last year.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said there's no need for a special committee because he believes the standing Senate Intelligence Committee is up to the task.

U.S. authorities concluded Russian hackers stole emails from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, the chairman of 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign. The stolen emails were later published via the WikiLeaks website as part of an effort to damage and embarrass the Clinton campaign.

The White House's unexpected announcement that Trump had sacked Comey rocked Capitol Hill Tuesday.

After The Arizona Republic asked for his reaction to the firing, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a Judiciary Committee member, responded with a one-word text message: "Wow."

Later, Flake tweeted: "I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing. I just can't do it."

The Senate Judiciary Committee has oversight of the Justice Department and the FBI.

Meanwhile, Democrats demanded an independent special prosecutor to investigate any Trump campaign connections to Russia.

“Without an independent investigation, the American people will be forced to conclude that the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia is even more contemptible than we already suspected," Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said in a written statement. "In short, Comey’s sudden dismissal looks an awful lot like a cover-up. ... Now that the FBI investigation has been tainted, it’s beyond time to appoint an independent special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this administration’s Russia ties."

Nowicki is The Republic's national political reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @dannowicki and on his official Facebook page.

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