WASHINGTON, May 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement Tuesday after The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to shut down the federal investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in an Oval Office meeting in February:

“Now more than ever we need a special prosecutor to determine whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Now more than ever we need to make public any recordings from the Oval Office. Now more than ever we need to make sure that the next FBI director is independent of the Trump administration. Now more than ever we need Republican members of Congress to work with us in demanding that Trump be held accountable for his actions.”