WASHINGTON — Two Senate Democrats are calling on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to investigate whether Donald Trump violated U.S. law by asking Russia to find Hillary Clinton's deleted emails.

In a letter released today, Senate Judiciary Committee members Chris Coons of Delaware and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island blasted Trump's statements as "dangerous and irresponsible." They want Cruz, a Trump rival and chairman of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, to hold a hearing to determine whether Trump's request for "foreign entities to conduct cyberattacks on political opponents" broke existing laws.

"Mr. Trump's encouragement of a Russian cyber incursion of a U.S. presidential candidate represents an unprecedented call for a foreign government to spy on a U.S. citizen and interfere with a U.S. election," they wrote.

Trump's comments, they said, potentially threaten the country's interests and violate a host of laws, including the Logan and Espionage Act. What's more, "Mr. Trump has invited foreign interference with the presidential election, which we believe should be carefully guarded against under U.S. law."

It's unclear whether Cruz, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, will schedule a hearing. His Senate office did not immediately respond to the request Wednesday.

Coons is the ranking member on the Judiciary Oversight subcommittee, and Whitehouse is a former Rhode Island attorney general.

Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin but said he was being "sarcastic" when he encouraged Russia to find and expose classified emails from the private server that Clinton used as secretary of state. That came after hackers believed to have ties to Russia released thousands of emails from Democratic headquarters ahead of the party's convention last week.

But such an event would be rich in political theater after Cruz, a Trump frenemy-turned-foe, was booed off the Republican National Convention stage last month in Cleveland for refusing to endorse Trump.