Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather lambasted the Trump administration on Tuesday evening for its association with former national security adviser Mike Flynn, claiming "this Russia scandal" might end up being as "big as Watergate."

"Watergate is the biggest political scandal of my lifetime, until maybe now. It was the closest we came to a debilitating constitutional crisis, until maybe now. On a 10 scale of armageddon for our form of government, I would put Watergate at a 9," Rather wrote on Facebook. "This Russia scandal is currently somewhere around a 5 or 6, in my opinion, but it is cascading in intensity seemingly by the hour. And we may look back and see, in the end, that it is at least as big as Watergate. It may become the measure by which all future scandals are judged. It has all the necessary ingredients, and that is chilling."



Rather, who conservatives have long accused of having a liberal bias, retired in 2005 from the anchor's chair after his flawed stories on George W. Bush's Air National Guard service record.

Flynn resigned Monday after controversy arose over his phone calls during the transition period with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

"We can all remember the General Michael Flynn's speech from the Republican National Convention — "Lock her up!" in regards to Hillary Clinton. If Hillary Clinton had done one tenth of what Mr. Flynn had done, she likely would be in jail. And it isn't just Mr. Flynn, how far does this go?" Rather wrote in his Facebook post.

The GOP-led Congress should take action and investigate White House officials' assertions, according to Rather, now managing editor for a show on the cable channel AXS.

"We need an independent investigation. Damn the lies, full throttle forward on the truth. If a scriptwriter had approached Hollywood with what we are witnessing, he or she would probably have been told it was way too far-fetched for even a summer blockbuster. But this is not fiction. It is real and it is serious. Deadly serious," Rather said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi renewed calls for an independent commission to look into Russia's meddling in the presidential election on Tuesday.