Sen. Boozman: ‘Content’ that Intelligence Committees can handle Trump investigation in wake of Comey firing

Arkansas’ senior senator applauded former FBI Director James Comey’s service, but understands he was a lightning rod for the criticism that led to his dismissal. That said, Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, wants a more complete explanation.

Sen. Boozman appeared on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics, which airs statewide on Sunday mornings.

Saying he’s a “transparency guy,” Boozman said he wants a full explanation of Comey’s firing “the sooner the better.”

“When you look at Director Comey’s record, in the sense of keeping us safe, he’s done a tremendous job, there. We can be very, very proud of that. The world is full of threats and a lot of those are focused right here on the United States,” Boozman said. “I think that probably Director Comey had become a distraction. It depended on what day of the week it was… in the sense of Republicans attacking him because he wasn’t doing enough on this or that investigation, Democrats attacking the same way. I think that was the crux of it.”

He is hoping that the President and Senate can act swiftly to replace Comey with someone who “we all agree is a person beyond reproach.”

Boozman is unsure how or if a fuller explanation would change his mind. He’s in favor of the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr and Virginia Democrat Sen. Mark Warner, maintaining its investigation of Russian interference in the U.S. elections and potential ties to the Trump orbit, which Comey was investigating. Boozman does not support an independent investigation into the matter at this time.

“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Richard Burr, Senator Warner from Virginia, they’re working very, very hard. What I’d like to do is see the outcome there, and then we’ll go from there depending on the circumstances,” he said.

“Certainly, there are a lot of partisan politics involved, but not with the investigation that they’re doing. So right now, I’m content. Certainly, if circumstances change, I’ll be constantly weighing what we need to be doing. But right now, I think that we’re in a good position,” Boozman added.

Boozman shared other thoughts on the floods that have hit Arkansas and severely crippled the state’s agriculture community, as well as climate change and healthcare reform. Watch his full interview below.