Texas Democratic congressman Joaquín Castro, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), said Congress would likely "go down the road of impeachment" if the evidence bears out that Pres. Donald Trump asked then FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his possible ties to Russia while he was a member of the Trump campaign.
"If the evidence bears out that there was obstruction of justice I think that you likely will see Congress go down the road of impeachment," said Rep. Castro to MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Monday night.
RELATED: Comey Memo Claims Trump Urged Him to Drop Flynn Probe
The comments follow an explosive report in Tuesday's New York Times and confirmed by NBC News that Comey had written a memo and shared it with some associates detailing Trump's request to him at a meeting. "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go," said Trump to Comey, according to a source who read parts of the memo to the New York Times reporter.
Castro said he has seen a shift in Congress when it comes to his Republican colleagues.
"I believe that the events of this past week, if they're confirmed, have really opened people’s eyes —not that they shouldn’t have been opened before, but you hear more Republican members of Congress even commenting that we need to get to the bottom of this, request for independent prosecutors , requests for subpoenas, so I think we’re finally turning a corner," said Castro.
He said he would give Comey and the FBI 72 hours to produce memos related to the alleged incident, "and if they're not produced we should subpoena them, same thing with the White House."
The New York Times report and the ensuing controversy has reverberated through Congress, with Democrats calling for investigations and some Republicans, especially in more moderate districts stating a need for answers.
On Tuesday, Texas Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar tweeted out a call for an "independent investigation to find out the truth." Florida Republican congressman Carlos Curbelo, whose district voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, said that if the allegations are true, it marks the beginning of a "sad chapter," saying to reporters that Congress needs to find the truth, "no matter where it may lead us."
