Washington (CNN) Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Sunday that he thinks US institutions are under assault from President Donald Trump. 
 
 "I think in many ways our institutions are under assault both externally -- and that's the big news here is the Russian interference in our election system -- and I think as well our institutions are under assault internally," Clapper told anchor Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union." 
 
 Pressed if he meant US institutions were under assault internally from the President, Clapper responded, "Exactly." 
 
 Clapper called on the other branches of the federal government to step up in their roles as a check on the executive. 
 
 "The founding fathers, in their genius, created a system of three co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances," Clapper said. "I feel as though that is under assault and is eroding." 
 
 Democrats and several Republicans in Congress have publicly mulled pressing the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor or establishing an independent investigative body that could look into allegations of potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign in what the US intelligence community says was Moscow's efforts to influence the US election. 
 
 The Senate must confirm a new FBI director once Trump names a candidate; that FBI director will take a lead role in the Russia investigation. 
 
 Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee advocated on "Fox News Sunday" that Trump appoint Judge Merrick Garland to head the FBI. Josh Holmes, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said later on the program that the Republican leader had just called him to say he would support Garland for FBI's top spot. 
 
 Garland was President Barack Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after Scalia's death last year. If appointed and confirmed as FBI director, Garland's appointment would create a vacancy on the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which has jurisdiction over the DC area and federal agencies, making it one of the highest legal authorities in the country short of the Supreme Court. 
 
 Can't refute or confirm collusion questions 
 
 Clapper also said Sunday that the President and the White House are wrong to cite Clapper's previous Senate testimony on the questions about alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia as proof that no such collusion exists, emphasizing that no one should portray his comments as "exculpatory" -- something Trump has done repeatedly on Twitter. 
 
 Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is "no evidence" of collusion w/ Russia and Trump. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017 
 
 When James Clapper himself, and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt, says there is no collusion, when does it end? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017 
 
 "The bottom line is I don't know if there was collusion, political collusion," Clapper told Tapper. "I don't know of any evidence to it. So I can't refute it, and I can't confirm it." 
 
 Clapper told NBC in March that he didn't know of any evidence that demonstrated collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. At a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing earlier this month, Clapper clarified that statement, saying he was also unaware of the FBI's investigation into the matter until Comey made it public in March. 
 
 At that subcommittee hearing, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, whom Trump fired in January for refusing to defend his initial temporary ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority countries and suspension of the entry of Syrian refugees, declined to answer the question of whether there was evidence of collusion publicly; in her answer, she also noted that Clapper had been unaware of the FBI investigation. 
 
 Clapper said Sunday that his "standard practice" as the leader of the intelligence community during the Obama administration was to defer to the FBI on any counterintelligence investigations. 
 
 He noted the intelligence community's joint assessment declaring Russia had interfered in the 2016 election did not contain any reporting about political collusion. 
 
 "I did not have any evidence," Clapper said, again noting he was unaware of the executive branch investigation into allegations of collusion. 
 
 Comey and Trump 
 
 On Friday, Trump raised eyebrows by tweeting a warning to Comey, whom he fired unexpectedly on Tuesday, about leaking information to the media, saying he "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press." 
 
 In his news briefing later that day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined repeatedly to explain what the tweet meant or address questions about whether there were recording devices in the Oval Office. 
 
 James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017 
 
 Trump and Comey had a private dinner in the White House on January 27 in which a source close to Comey said the President asked the FBI director to pledge his loyalty, which Comey, who reportedly was taken aback by the request, refused to do. 
 
 The dinner was on the same day that Yates went to the White House to warn the administration about since-ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn's potential vulnerability to Russian blackmail and that Trump issued the executive order restricting travel from several majority-Muslim nations. 
 
 Clapper said Sunday that he spoke with Comey prior to the dinner while at an event at FBI headquarters in Washington. 
 
 "He mentioned to me the invitation he had from the President for dinner," Clapper said. "He was -- my characterization -- uneasy with it both from the standpoint of the optic of compromising his independence and the independence of the FBI." ||||| President Donald Trump gestures after speaking to members of the media aboard Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg,... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Sunday described a U.S. government "under assault" after President Donald Trump's controversial decision to fire FBI director James Comey, as lawmakers urged the president to select a new FBI director free of any political stigma. 
 
 "I think, in many ways, our institutions are under assault, both externally -- and that's the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system," Clapper said. "I think as well our institutions are under assault internally." 
 
 When he was asked, "Internally, from the president?" Clapper said, "Exactly." 
 
 Clapper spoke following Trump's sudden firing of Comey last week, which drew sharp criticism because it came amid the FBI's probe into Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign. 
 
 Clapper said America's founding fathers had created three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances, but with Trump as president, that was now "under assault and is eroding." 
 
 Lawmakers from both parties also criticized Trump's actions last week, which included changing explanations from the White House for the firing and an ominous tweet by Trump that warned Comey against leaks to the press because he may have "tapes" of their conversations. The lawmakers urged the president to select a new FBI director without any political background. 
 
 Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said promoting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to "reset." He dismissed as less desirable at least two of the 14 candidates under consideration by Trump, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, explaining that "these are not normal circumstances." 
 
 Rogers, an ex-FBI agent and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has drawn the backing of the FBI Agents Association. Cornyn is the No. 2 Republican in the Senate. 
 
 "It's now time to pick somebody who comes from within the ranks, or is of such a reputation who has no political background at all who can go into the job from Day 1," the South Carolina Republican said. Asked whether Rogers or Cornyn would be good choices, Graham flatly said, "no." 
 
 "The president has a chance to clean up the mess he mostly created," Graham said, adding, "I have no evidence the president colluded with the Russians at all, but we don't know all the evidence yet." 
 
 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new FBI director should certainly be someone "not of partisan background" with "great experience" and "courage." He left open the possibility that Democrats might try and withdraw support for a new FBI director unless the Justice Department names a special prosecutor. Under rules of the Senate, Republicans could still confirm an FBI director with 51 votes. Republicans hold 52 seats in the chamber to Democrats' 48. 
 
 Less than a week after Trump fired Comey, the administration has interviewed at least eight candidates to be FBI director, and Trump has said a decision could come before he leaves Friday on his first overseas trip as president. 
 
 "I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well-known," Trump said of the candidates before Air Force One took off for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI." 
 
 Trump abruptly fired Comey on Tuesday and later said Comey was a "showboat" and "grandstander" who was not doing a good job. The firing drew a wave of criticism in large part because the FBI has been investigating whether election meddling by Russia involved people in Trump's presidential campaign, and Trump said in an interview with NBC that the investigation factored into his decision to fire Comey. The changing rationales the White House offered added an element of chaos to the president's action. 
 
 The FBI director serves a 10-year term but can be replaced by the president. 
 
 So far 14 people — lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials among them — have emerged as candidates. Eight met at the Justice Department on Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. 
 
 The first candidate to arrive for interviews was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. 
 
 Also interviewed were: 
 
 —Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI's office in Richmond, Virginia. 
 
 — Andrew McCabe, the acting FBI director. 
 
 —Michael J. Garcia, a former prosecutor and associate judge on New York's highest court. 
 
 —Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general. 
 
 —U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010. 
 
 —Frances Townsend, a former Bush homeland security and counterterrorism adviser. 
 
 —Rogers. The FBI Agents Association says it believes his diverse background makes him the best choice. 
 
 Fisher and Townsend were the only women on the list of candidates. The FBI has never had a female director. 
 
 Sessions has faced questions over whether his involvement in Comey's firing violates his pledge to recuse himself from investigations into Russian interference in the election. Some lawmakers have alleged the firing was an effort to stifle that FBI probe. 
 
 Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Sessions and Rosenstein were involved in the interviews because the FBI director reports to them as attorney general and deputy attorney general. 
 
 Clapper and Schumer made their comments on CNN's "State of the Union"; Graham spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman and Darlene Superville contributed to this report. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption James Clapper says he "can deny" that Donald Trump's phones were tapped 
 
 The director of national intelligence at the time of the US election has denied there was any wire-tapping of Donald Trump or his campaign. 
 
 James Clapper also told NBC that he knew of no court order to allow monitoring of Trump Tower in New York. 
 
 Mr Trump had accused President Barack Obama of ordering the wire-tap but offered no evidence. 
 
 The White House has asked Congress to examine whether the Obama administration abused its powers. 
 
 Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted senior officials as saying that FBI director James Comey had asked the justice department to publicly dismiss Mr Trump's allegation this weekend. 
 
 The officials were quoted as saying that Mr Comey believed there was no evidence to support the allegation, which he thought insinuated the FBI had broken the law. 
 
 However, the justice department has made no such statement, and the Times said neither it nor the FBI had officially commented. 
 
 Read more 
 
 James Clapper, who left his post when Mr Trump took office on 20 January, told NBC's Meet the Press: "There was no such wire-tap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate, or against his campaign." 
 
 He said that as intelligence director he would have known about any "court order on something like this. Absolutely, I can deny it". 
 
 But he added: "I can't speak for other authorised entities in the government or a state or local entity." 
 
 Some media reports had suggested a warrant was sought from the foreign intelligence surveillance court (Fisa) in order to monitor members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials. 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Trump's press secretary said the president would not comment further, despite calls for him to back up his claims with evidence 
 
 Mr Clapper's comments appear to contradict the reports, which said that a warrant was at first turned down, but then approved in October. 
 
 Under Fisa, wire-tapping can only be approved if there is probable cause to believe that the target of the surveillance is an agent of a foreign power. Mr Obama could not lawfully have ordered such a warrant. 
 
 'Simply false' 
 
 In his interview, Mr Clapper also said that no evidence had been found of collusion between the Trump team and the Russian government. 
 
 Mr Trump, who has faced intense scrutiny over alleged Russian interference in support of his presidential bid, made his wire-tapping allegation in tweets written from his weekend home in Florida early on Saturday. 
 
 He called the alleged tapping "Nixon/Watergate", referring to the notorious political scandal of 1972, which led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. 
 
 His claims sparked Republican and Democrat politicians alike to demand details to back them up. Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio was the latest, saying on Sunday that "the White House will have to answer as to exactly what he was referring to". 
 
 Blowing up the rule book: Analysis by Laura Bicker, BBC News, Washington 
 
 Let's face it, Donald Trump is not your run-of-the-mill president. He's unorthodox. It's what his supporters love about him and why they elected the political outsider. 
 
 But accusing your predecessor of an abuse of power without proof isn't just throwing out the presidential rule book, it's blowing it up. 
 
 The attack was strikingly personal and the charge was astonishing. 
 
 President Trump's assertions appear to be based, in part, on unproven reports by Breitbart News and conservative talk radio hosts. 
 
 But President Trump has full access to intelligence reports. He could just ask if his phones at Trump Tower had been tapped or the information could have come from a briefing. 
 
 In which case has he divulged a secret? And where is his evidence? 
 
 Congress will want to know before they add this allegation to their current investigation. 
 
 But in his series of tweets on Sunday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer did not provide any further evidence. 
 
 He said: "Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling. 
 
 "President Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016." 
 
 He added: "Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted." 
 
 White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told ABC News that if Mr Trump's allegations were true, "this is the greatest overreach and the greatest abuse of power that I think we've ever seen and a huge attack on democracy itself". 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Adam Schiff said Mr Trump's allegation "discredits our democracy in the eyes of the world" 
 
 There was a mixed reaction to Mr Trump's calls for the inquiry into alleged abuse of executive power. 
 
 Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton said: "I'm sure that this matter will be a part of that inquiry." 
 
 But Adam Schiff, the most senior Democratic member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, said Mr Trump's wire-tapping claim had been taken from "little more than... conspiracy-based news". 
 
 He said: "For a president of the United States to make such an incendiary charge - and one that discredits our democracy in the eyes of the world - is as destructive as it was baseless." 
 
 What are the Congressional committees looking at? 
 
 Both the House and Senate intelligence committees are currently looking into the possibility of Russian interference during the 2016 election, both launched in January. 
 
 They have promised wide-ranging investigations, carried out on a bipartisan basis, which will not shy away from looking into potential links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, as well as Russian "cyber activity". 
 
 Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee is going to look at how to protect the US from cyber-attacks in the wake of the election. 
 
 Mr Trump's tweets followed allegations made by conservative radio host Mark Levin and later carried in Breitbart News, of which Mr Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon is a former executive chairman. 
 
 Mr Obama's spokesman, Kevin Lewis, called the accusations "simply false". 
 
 A "cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice", he said. ||||| Top intelligence leaders testified Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET before the Senate Intelligence Committee. 
 
 Scheduled to testify: 
 
 Dan Coats -- Director of national intelligence 
 
 Andrew McCabe -- Acting FBI director 
 
 Mike Rogers -- NSA director 
 
 Rod Rosenstein -- Deputy attorney general 
 
 HIGHLIGHTS: 
 
 Rogers, Coats decline to comment on conversations they've had with Trump, though Rogers said he's never "been directed to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate" as NSA director 
 
 The four officials decline to discuss whether they've taken notes or issued memos related to the Russia probe 
 
 Burr rips witnesses for not answering questions surrounding Comey firing and Russia probe 
 
 The hearing was focused on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), though there were a slew of questions involving the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. 
 
 This comes a day before Comey is set to testify publicly before Congress for the first time on Thursday since President Trump fired him as FBI director last month. 
 
 See live updates of Wednesday's hearing below. 
 
 Burr rips witnesses for not answering questions 
 
 Burr said he had one final message that he wants the witnesses to deliver to the Trump administration. He said that in cases where there's sensitivity of activities, there is a mechanism for congressional oversight whereby officials can brief and notify the Gang of Eight, which includes congressional leadership in both the House and Senate and on both sides of the aisle. 
 
 "At no time, should you be in a position to come to Congress without an answer," Burr warned them. 
 
 Warner says "the president is not above the law" 
 
 Warner said that he's come out of the hearing "with more questions than when I went in." He said that Coats and Rogers were both willing to characterize their conversations with the president, arguing that they didn't feel pressure, but Warner ridiculed them for not sharing the content of those discussions. 
 
 Warner said he's "pretty frustrated" that there is a deference to a special prosecutor and he said while their "feelings response" is important, so is the contents of their communications with Trump. 
 
 "The president is not above the law," Warner said. 
 
 Warner asked if it would be concerning if the president intervened in an investigation. 
 
 "If anybody obstructs an investigation, that would be a subject of concern," Rosenstein said, adding that it would investigated appropriately. 
 
 Cotton seeks to clarify how 702 works with U.S. citizens 
 
 Cotton, who has introduced a permanent extension of FISA, asked the officials if FISA's Sec. 702 allows the intelligence agencies to collect information on U.S. citizens. Rogers explained that they collect intelligence on foreigners outside the U.S. since NSA is a foreign intelligence organization. Rosenstein explained that if a foreigner is inside the U.S., the intelligence agencies have to rely on other provisions of FISA. Cotton asked McCabe what happens if an ISIS terrorist comes to the U.S., and he said that the NSA notifies the FBI and they work together to pursue coverage under a FISA statute. 
 
 King grills Rogers and Coats about why they're not answering questions 
 
 Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, spent several minutes grilling Rogers and Coats about why they aren't answering questions regarding the Comey firing or the Russia probe. 
 
 Asked if the White House was invoking executive priviledge, Rogers said he wasn't aware of that. King then asked why he isn't answering questions. Rogers said, "I feel it isn't appropriate, senator" and added that he stands by his comment and he's not going to repeat himself and he said he doesn't mean it in a contentious way. King said that his questions are intended to be contentious. 
 
 McCabe explains FBI involvement with 702 
 
 Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, asked McCabe what happens when the FBI wants to follow up on or pursue a U.S. person in or outside the U.S. McCabe explained that they would seek a FISA warrant under Title I. Asked if the FBI ever seeks collection under 702, McCabe said that if the FBI has a full investigation on a foreign person in a foreign place, the bureau would nominate that person for 702 coverage at the NSA. 
 
 McCabe is asking about his conversations with Comey 
 
 Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, asked McCabe if he had a conversation with Comey about the president asking for Comey's loyalty. McCabe said he isn't in a position to comment because those matters fall within the scope of the special counsel's investigation. McCabe said he wants Comey to speak for himself when he testifies before the Intelligence panel on Thursday morning. 
 
 Wyden asks officials whether they ever took notes or issued memos related to Russia probe 
 
 Coats said he doesn't take notes, Rosenstein said he rarely takes notes and that he's not going to answer questions on the Russia investigation. McCabe said he's not going to comment on any conversations he's had or if he wrote any notes. Rogers echoed that answer. 
 
 Rubio presses officials whether anyone has asked them to influence an ongoing probe 
 
 The Florida Republican asked if Coats and Rogers have ever been asked to influence an ongoing investigation. Coats said he's not prepared to answer in an open session. Rubio asked them if anyone ever asked them to issue a statement that wasn't true and Rogers and Coats refused to answer. 
 
 Rogers explains the NSA's unmasking process 
 
 The unmasking process for the NSA, Rogers said, is defined in writing and in terms of who has the authority to unmask, he said there are 20 individuals in 12 different positions including Rogers. He said that the NSA outlines in writing what criteria will be applied in the request to unmask. 
 
 Rogers said that when a U.S. person is referenced in an intelligence report, they don't identify the person. Some of the recipients of the report, he said, will sometimes come back to the NSA and ask who the unnamed individuals are. 
 
 The criteria: He said that the recipient must request in writing that the person's identity be unmasked, the request must be made on the basis of the official's duties and the basis of the request must be that the official needs the identity to understand the intelligence he or she is reading. One of the 20 individuals, he said, would then agree or disagree to unmask and if the NSA unmasks, the unmasking goes back only to the person who made the request. 
 
 Coats also declines to comment on specific conversations with Trump 
 
 Warner brought up reports about the president asking Rogers and Coats to downplay the Russia investigation and that the president asked him and the CIA director to intervene with then-FBI Director James Comey. 
 
 Coats said he doesn't believe "it's appropriate for me to address that in a public session." 
 
 Rogers comments on report that Trump asked him to downplay Russia probe 
 
 Warner raised reports about the president asking Rogers and Coats to downplay the Russia investigation. He asked Rogers whether in his experience, if it would be typical for the president to ask questions, to bring up an ongoing FBI probe, particularly if that probe involves people associated with the president or his campaign. 
 
 Rogers said he's "not going to discuss theoreticals" and he's not going to discuss specific conversations with the president. But, he said he would make one comment. He said in the more than 3 years that he has served as NSA director, he said, "I've never been directed to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate." He said he does not "recall feeling pressured" to do something. 
 
 Warner said he's disappointed with his answer. 
 
 Coats reveals case that he classified to illustrate the value of Sec. 702 
 
 He said that as a result of 702, the U.S. was able to find and kill ISIS's finance minister, Haji Iman, in March 2016. Coats said that the NSA, along with its intelligence community partners, spent over two years from 2014 to 2016 looking for Iman. 
 
 He explained that the NSA learned of a person "closely associated" with Iman and collected intelligence on the associate, forming a robust network. The NSA and its tactical partners, Coats said, combined the information and was able to identify Iman and track his movements. This allowed U.S. forces, he said, to attempt an apprehension of Iman in March 2016. The operation led to shots being fired at U.S. forces, which led to the killing of Iman and other associates at that location. 
 
 Coats defends FISA's Sec. 702, urges Congress to reauthorize the surveillance program 
 
 Coats, the director of national intelligence, in his opening joint statement, said that intelligence collection under 702 has produced and continues to produce "significant intelligence" that he said is "vital" to protect the nation from international terrorism, cyber threats and proliferation. He said it contains strong protections for privacy. 
 
 Coats said that since FISA was implemented a decade ago, there has been rigorous oversight over the program. 
 
 He said that in the nearly 10 years since Congress enacted legislation that established FISA there have been "no instances" of intentional violations of 702. He said that it may not be used to target U.S. persons anywhere in the world and cannot be used to target anyone in the U.S., regardless of their nationality. 
 
 "We have never, not once, found an intentional violation of the program. There have been unintended mistakes," he said. "None of these mistakes has been intentional." 
 
 Warner says he will address reports surrounding Comey firing, Russia probe 
 
 Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, acknowledged reports that Trump was thinking of the Russia probe when he fired Comey as FBI director. He said that lawmakers will have the opportunity Wednesday to ask Rosenstein about his role in the Comey firing. He highlighted reports that said that the president asked at least two leaders of the intelligence agencies to publicly downplay the Russia investigation and asked Coats and CIA Director Pompeo to pull back on the Russia probe. 
 
 "If any of this is true, it would be an appalling and improper use of our intelligence professionals," Warner said. 
 
 Burr highlights need to approve "critical" foreign intelligence surveillance tool 
 
 The chairman said that the panel's hearing highlights the most critical foreign intelligence tool -- FISA -- which he said expires on Dec. 31 unless Congress reauthorizes it. He spoke about Sec. 702 of Title 7 which he said provides the capability to target foreigners located outside the U.S. but whose foreign communications happen to be routed to and acquired in the U.S. 
 
 Burr said that the program is "exceptionally critical" to protecting Americans at home and abroad and in preventing terror attacks. 
 
 He acknowledged that there may be discussion about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
– The former director of national intelligence minced no words Sunday in describing "our institutions" as being "under assault, both externally—and that's the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system," Clapper told CNN in addressing James Comey's firing as he investigated that interference. "I think as well our institutions are under assault internally." Asked, "Internally, from the president?" Clapper said, "Exactly." He continued: "The founding fathers, in their genius, created a system of three co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances. I feel as though that is under assault and is eroding." There was lots more Comey reaction on the Sunday dial, via the AP: Chuck Schumer: Wants a new FBI director "not of partisan background" with "great experience" and "courage." He also said Democrats should refuse to confirm a new director until a special investigator into Russian meddling had been appointed, per CNN. Lindsey Graham: "It's now time to pick somebody (to run the FBI) who comes from within the ranks, or is of such a reputation who has no political background at all who can go into the job from Day 1." Mark Warner: "I think Jim Comey deserves his chance to lay out to the American public his side of the facts," Warner said, per the Hill. "We would love to have Director Comey appear in an open hearing." Further, "how he was treated was pretty awful by this president."