Lebanese-American congressman wants special prosecutor to investigate Trump

A Lebanese-American congressman has called for a special prosecutor to investigate whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and was in touch with President Donald Trump's team during the campaign.

Rep. Darrell Issa of California says it would be improper for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to lead the investigation.

Issa made the comments Friday on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher".

"You're right that you cannot have somebody - a friend of mine, Jeff Sessions - who was on the campaign and who is an appointee," said Issa.

"You're going to need to use the special prosecutor’s statute and office."

It is unclear whether Issa would have any influence on Sessions. He supported Trump during the election, but barely held onto his own seat in November.

Meanwhile, the White House has been avoiding questions about whether Sessions should consider withdrawing from the FBI's investigation into the Russian interference.

Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is steering clear of directly answering whether the former Alabama senator should step aside from overseeing the bureau's investigation.

She tells ABC's "This Week" that congressional committees need to complete their own investigations, and then it would be appropriate to discuss Sessions' role.

But those are separate reviews, independent of the FBI's work.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed the conclusion that Moscow influenced the election while expressing the need to smooth over bilateral relations deeply strained during the Obama presidency.