Donald Trump

‘Cascading Crisis': New England Lawmakers React to Comey Memo Allegation

President Trump's alleged conversation was recorded in an internal memo by former FBI Director James Comey, multiple sources confirmed to NBC News

Lawmakers around New England are already reacting to the latest bombshell to rock the White House.

Maine's independent Sen. Angus King told CNN that if the reports of President Donald Trump asking former FBI Director James Comey to drop the agency's investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, are true, then it comes close to obstruction of justice, which are grounds for impeachment.

"It certainly appears to meet the definition in the [obstruction] statue," King said while on on "Hardball With Chris Matthews" later.

WCSH6 reports King later clarified with Maine reporters that it's too early to talk about removing President Trump, insisting he didn't want to get ahead of facts. 

Trump's alleged conversation with Comey emerged in an internal memo the former FBI director wrote after the fact, multiple sources with first hand knowledge of the memo told NBC News Tuesday.

The memo was first reported by The New York Times.

Meanwhile, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) called the memo a "textbook ... case of an attempt to obstruct justice."

Rhode Island's other Democratic senator, Sen. Jack Reed, called the Comey memo reports "alarming."

"The allegations in this memo depict a President who doesn't seem to fully grasp the responsibilities of his office, lack integrity, and thinks he's above the law," Reed said in a statement.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) continued to call for a special prosecutor to investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

"I am not a psychologist," Sanders said while at a town hall debate with Ohio Gov. John Kasich. "But there is something strange going on with Mr. Trump, who lies all the time. This is not a typical president."

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) tweeted out, "Memos, tapes, testimony, appt [sic] of special prosecutor -- all are needed ASAP to get to the bottom of this cascading crisis."

The Comey memo news came a week after Comey learned he was fired from TV reports while speaking at the bureau's Los Angeles office, which sparked a massive backlash from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump also stirred controversy with a visit from Russia's foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S. on Wednesday, and reversed his White House's story regarding his decision to fire Comey while in an interview with Lester Holt for "NBC Nightly News" Thursday.

On Monday, The Washington Post reported President Trump revealed classified information with Russia during Wednesday's meeting regarding ISIS, which was information provided by a third country. The White House has denied Monday's report.

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