U.S. Senator Patty Murray called President Trump’s surprise firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday “deeply troubling” and “suspect at best.”

Murray (D-WA) released the following statement late Tuesday:

“It is deeply troubling that in the middle of the investigation into the Trump campaign, the president has removed the very person responsible for getting the American people the answers they deserve.

“The timing of this is suspect at best. It is abundantly clear that we need a special prosecutor to get to work immediately to get a full grasp of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia so the public finally knows what happened, who was involved, and why.

“The importance of moving this investigation outside of the administration’s reach cannot be overstated,” Murray said.