Rep. Swalwell: Russia investigation 'larger issue than Watergate'

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Swalwell: Trump was shielded from being charged by a DOJ policy

Robert Mueller breaks silence as impeachment pressure on Pelosi grows; reaction from 2020 Democratic hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell.

Democratic presidential hopeful Eric Swalwell says the Russia investigation is a "larger issue than Watergate" after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's press conference Wednesday breathed new life into the much-debated report.

While appearing on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" Wednesday, Rep. Swalwell, D-Calif., told guest host Ed Henry that Trump wasn't acting "innocent" by blocking testimony before Congress, in particular, the president's former White House Counsel Don McGahn.

"He hasn't testified in the Congress. That's not how it works. Congress is separate. Why wouldn't the president want him to come forward if he is so cleared? Again, this isn't how innocent people act. Innocent people say 'I didn't do anything wrong. You can spend all the time you want investigating me,'" Swalwell said.

SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER BREAKS SILENCE ON RUSSIA PROVE, SAYS CHARGING TRUMP WITH A CRIME WAS 'NOT AN OPTION'

Trump directed McGahn to skip a House Judiciary Committee hearing recently.

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Henry noted to Swalwell that McGahn testified for 29 hours as part of Mueller's investigation and Swalwell disputed the notion that he could personally view the unredacted Mueller report prompting Henry to ask for clarification and Swalwell to make the Watergate comparison.

"I'm saying just like Watergate, Congress should see grand jury information. That happened after Watergate. This seems to be a larger issue than Watergate. This is a foreign adversary who attacked our democracy. I think you want to make sure checks and balances are preserved," Swalwell said.

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Swalwell also challenged Trump to order the Justice Department to remove the policy that a sitting president can't be indicted, saying if he were elected president he would remove the policy.

"If the president is so innocent, he would order today, the department of justice to lift that policy that says a president can't be indicted and then if Mueller has a case, he would bring it. But the president is not innocent, so he is not going to do it," Swalwell said.