Republicans reserving judgment on Trump until Comey testimony

Republicans are withholding their judgment on whether President Trump sought to obstruct justice by firing FBI Director James Comey until they hear directly from Comey, and are most ignoring efforts by Democrats to label Trump "guilty" until then.

Democrats have pushed hard to turn Trump's actions into a constitutional crisis, one born out of what they say is Trump's effort to hinder the FBI's investigation into Russia's election meddling and alleged collusion with Trump.

But on Wednesday, some of that pressure eased when the Justice Department announced that Robert Mueller will be a special prosecutor to investigate Trump's links to Russia. Just before that announcement, Democrats said they had momentum on their side.

"The political dynamic is shifting seismically," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told the Washington Examiner. "Just coming from the floor now, talking to five of my Republican colleagues, they are moving in the direction of, we need to do something."

With Mueller's appointment, Republicans will likely be able to maintain their position that they need to hear from Comey directly before they judge Trump's actions. Most GOP lawmakers resisted the idea of an outside investigation before the Justice Department announcement, and said they wanted the investigations in the House and Senate to proceed.