Former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman told Newsmax TV guest host Bill O'Reilly on Thursday that a special counsel should probe FBI and Justice Department surveillance abuses in the Russia investigation because "there is nothing higher."
"People say, 'Why are you going after the FBI?'" Tolman, who served three years after being named to the post in 2006 by former President George W. Bush, told O'Reilly on "Newsmax Now" in an interview. "The problem here is there is nothing higher.
"There's no other resource," he added. "This is supposed to be the pinnacle of our investigative powers as a country."
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He said the Justice Department's inspector general does not have "the absolute ability to uncover what has gone on here."
"Inspector generals are good," Tolman said. "They're diligent."
However, any special counsel should be a No. 3 at Justice because Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should recuse themselves.
"The Department of Justice should take a quick look at the attorney general and the deputy attorney general recusing," Tolman told O'Reilly.
"There are principled deputy attorneys general who can fill this role, who can step in and do it."
He added that President Donald Trump should direct White House counsel Don McGahn to "reach out to the Justice Department and say, 'We want to have a third in charge who can step in, make a determination on whether a special counsel is needed.'
"This cannot be investigated by any other entity or a group of entities."
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