“The inmates are running the asylum,” quipped Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who was next in line to question the leaders of the U.S. intelligence community appearing before the committee.

The meeting Burr and Warner couldn't push off? A sit-down with Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who played a central role in the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey and threatened to quit after the Trump administration put the decision on his shoulders.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Burr said the sit-down had been prearranged with Rosenstein, before Comey was fired. He added that he and Warner didn't get into the details of Comey's firing.

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“We didn't want to miss the opportunity,” Burr said. “Since the committee has an investigation going on that is very similar to what the Department of Justice has going on, we felt that there was a great need to set up a process for deconfliction so that when we had witnesses that we needed to talk to, we made sure we weren't stepping on top of anything that might be an active investigation.”

Remember, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the Russia investigation, making Rosenstein the Justice Department's point person on the matter. Burr said the investigation will go on unabated, despite Comey's departure.

“Regardless of what happens by the Justice Department or by the FBI, the investigation that's done by the Senate Intelligence Committee will continue on its current course, as aggressively as we're able to,” Burr said. “We're willing to go to whatever basket of tools we feel is necessary.”

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Burr and Warner went on to praise Comey when asked by a reporter about President Trump's decision to fire him.

“I found him to be one of the most ethical, upright, straightforward individuals I've had the opportunity to work with,” Burr said. “He provided our committee with more access to information than any director of the FBI.”

Warner called Comey a “straight shooter” and said that Trump has a “continuing pattern of disrespecting the men and women who serve in our intelligence community.”