Politics

GOP Sen. Thune to Trump: It's up to you to get the 'train back on the track'

Key Points
  • Sen. John Thune says Trump "needs to keep his focus on the things that the American people elected him to do."
  • "Obviously we want to make sure we get this train back on the track," he says.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), accompanied by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks with the media after the Senate Republican's weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill May 2, 2017 in Washington, DC.
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President Donald Trump is the person best positioned to get the Republican agenda back on track, Sen. John Thune told CNBC on Wednesday.

The South Dakota senator's comments came after The New York Times reported that former FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo that said Trump had asked him to end his probe of former national security advisor Michael Flynn's connections with Russia. The news prompted questions on whether the president attempted to obstruct justice.

The Times report came a day after The Washington Post reported Trump divulged highly classified information with Russian officials, and a week after Trump fired Comey.

"Obviously we want to make sure we this train back on the track. The president is the best person positioned to do that. He needs to keep his focus on the things that the American people elected him to do," the third-ranking Republican in the Senate said on "Squawk Box."

"These things end up being a sideshow. They end up being a distraction. Obviously, we want to get to the bottom of it, figure out what the facts are here," he added.

Following the Times report, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, said he will seek copies of FBI documents in its Russia probe, including the memo.

Also on"Squawk Box," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he will let the legal experts decide whether Trump obstructed justice, but added he wants to see the information and evidence.

"No one has ever accused me of ever being easy on my own party. I'll follow the trail, I'll follow the truth, I'll follow the facts," he said.