Thirteen Republican members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to appoint a special counsel to investigate alleged surveillance abuses by the FBI and the Justice Department.
"We acknowledge with immense gratitude that nearly every single man and woman in the DOJ and FBI conducts themselves daily with integrity, independence, patriotism, objectivity and commitment to the rule of law," the representatives said in a letter to the attorney general.
"That is why this special counsel is of the utmost importance to ensure that these historic, legendary and necessary agencies move forward more respected and effective than ever before," they said.
The letter was signed by Reps. Lee Zeldin and Claudia Tenney of New York; Jim Jordan of Ohio; Francis Rooney and Matt Gaetz of Florida; Ted Budd and Mark Meadows of North Carolina; Jody Hice of Georgia; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Andy Harris of Maryland; Louie Gohmert of Texas; and Dave Brat of Virginia.
Sessions announced Tuesday the Justice Department's inspector general would investigate the alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, prompting President Donald Trump to slam him Wednesday for assigning it to the IG's office.
Last year, Trump accused the Obama administration of misusing the FISA court to illegally spy on his presidential transition team.
Sessions, in a sharply worded response Wednesday, vowed: "As long as I am the attorney general, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor, and this department will continue to do its work in a fair and impartial manner according to the law and Constitution."
The Republican legislators also asked Sessions to investigate why the probe into Democrat Hillary Clinton's private email use ended and the circumstances surrounding the start of the agency's inquiry into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.