GOP senator: Trump has no right to influence an investigation

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Tuesday evening that he has not seen evidence that President Trump has tried to interfere in the federal Russia probe while emphasizing that the president would be out of line if he tried to influence the investigation.

“None of us have the right, including the president, to influence an investigation and try to tell the FBI and the Justice Department how the results should be of an investigation,” Kennedy told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd on “MTP Daily.” 

“I don’t see any evidence that the president has done that. He didn’t try to hide his meeting,” Kennedy said, referring to Trump’s meeting Monday with top law enforcement officials at the White House.

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“If he does try to influence it, I will speak out against it, but he has the right to ask for an investigation,” Kennedy added.

The GOP senator weighed in after Trump on Monday summoned Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to the White House for a meeting.

Trump met with the senior law enforcement officials as he called for a federal probe into whether the FBI improperly targeted his campaign during the 2016 election.

The president and his allies have been pushing for more details on an FBI informant who apparently met with several advisers to Trump’s campaign during the election.

Kennedy said Trump was right to seek details about the informant.

“I’d kind of like to know myself,” he said.

Rosenstein on Sunday asked the Department of Justice’s inspector general to look into whether there was improper surveillance of the Trump campaign.