House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that Democrats will seek votes on legislation Wednesday to establish an outside commission and an independent prosecutor to investigate President Donald Trump's ties to Russia.

"If the president has nothing to hide, then he should welcome independent investigations to remove all doubt of a cover-up," the California Democrat said in a statement. "The American people deserve to know what President Trump is so desperate to keep hidden."

Pelosi's statement came after The New York Times reported former FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo after a Feb. 14 meeting where Trump asked him to drop the agency's probe into Michael Flynn.

Trump fired Flynn the day before as national security adviser over questions about his disclosures about his Russian ties to Vice President Mike Pence.

"If these reports are true, the president's brazen attempt to shut down the FBI's investigation of Michael Flynn is an assault on the rule of law that is fundamental to our democracy," Pelosi said. "At best, President Trump has committed a grave abuse of executive power.

"At worst, he has obstructed justice.

"With each passing day, the president's actions give greater and greater urgency to the need for a full and independent investigation of the Trump-Russia connection," Pelosi said.

Other Democrats took to Twitter:

All relevant actors including Comey, Sessions, Rosenstein, and McGahn should testify before @senjudiciary publicly and under oath. — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) May 16, 2017

This president is out of control. Republicans: do your jobs or be on the wrong side of history. We need a special prosecutor now. https://t.co/S2UfL26jjS — Tom Perez (@TomPerez) May 16, 2017

Read my full statement below pic.twitter.com/WfBIAw1CXD — Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) May 16, 2017

We are now beyond the realm of @POTUS being not normal. We are in the territory of criminal activity. #ComeyMemo https://t.co/Ben2UePXyt — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) May 16, 2017

No one, not even the President, is above the law and the American people deserve answers about President Trump’s conduct. — Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) May 16, 2017

This alarming story further underscores the importance of our acting promptly in Congress to ensure the integrity of the FBI investigation — Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) May 16, 2017