Democrats, including House leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate leader Chuck Schumer, immediately called for Whitaker to recuse himself from the investigation, citing his public comments. Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said he wants "answers immediately" and tweeted that "we will hold people accountable." "Donald Trump just crossed a red line, violating the independence of the investigation pursuing criminal charges in the Trump-Russia scandal and cover-up," according to MoveOn.org. "Trump putting himself above the law is a threat to our democracy, and we've got to get Congress to stop him. We're mobilizing immediately to demand accountability, because Trump is not above the law," the group said. No evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russia government has been publicly identified. The president insists that the probe is a "witch hunt." The Associated Press contributed to this report.