Three Illinois gubernatorial candidates have called on Congress to impeach President Donald Trump in a series of statements released over the past week.

State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) all released statements regarding Trump. Their calls for impeachment follow a series of developments that have raised bipartisan calls for an independent investigation into Trump’s potential ties to Russia. Former FBI director Robert Mueller was appointed Wednesday as a special counsel to lead the investigation.

Mueller’s appointment comes after Trump dismissed former FBI Director James Comey. In a letter last week, Trump said he agreed with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that Comey was “not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Pritzker said Trump obstructed justice. Pritzker called on Republicans and Democrats to come together to protect the nation, and he released a statement calling on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to “stand with Illinois families” and reject Trump’s policies.

“With credible reports that President Donald Trump obstructed justice in the investigation of the Russian hacking of our democracy, I knew it was time to act,” Pritzker said in the statement.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump had asked Comey to back off an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The information comes from a memo allegedly authored by Comey in which he details a private, Oval Office conversation with the president.

Flynn resigned in February after various news outlets reported him misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of his contact with a Russian ambassador.

Responding to a question about Mueller’s appointment, Trump on Thursday said the special counsel “hurts our country terribly.”

“I respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt,” he said. “And there is no collusion between, certainly, myself and my campaign — but I can always speak for myself — and the Russians. Zero.”

In a page on his campaign website, Biss asked his supporters to sign a petition for Trump’s impeachment.

“Trump’s shameless abuse of power puts the safety and security of all Illinoisans in jeopardy,” the page reads. “It’s time for Congress to hold him accountable and begin drafting articles of impeachment.”

But some Democrats have sought to dampen the calls for impeachment.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) publicly opposed those who have called for the president’s impeachment, asking “the base” to stick to “an orderly process.”

“This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” Durbin said, according to Politico. “We have an orderly process in our government. We’re going to follow it. They don’t like to hear it, but I think that’s the facts.”

Pawar announced he is introducing a resolution in City Council calling for the House of Representatives to impeach Trump.

“Trump has failed to divest himself from his business interests and it certainly appears he has obstructed justice by firing the FBI director,” Pawar said in a statement. “If he hasn’t already broken the law, he is dangerously close.”

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