WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement this evening following reports? that President Trump may be considering issuing pardons to individuals involved in the Russia probe:

"Russia's interference in the 2016 elections was an attack on our democracy. Both the Senate Intelligence Committee and Special Counsel Mueller are currently investigating whether any coordination occurred between Russia and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. ?The possibility that the President is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing. Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line."

At a hearing of the Intelligence Committee last month, Sen. Warner pressed Attorney General Jeff Sessions on whether he and the President had discussed pardons in relation to the Russia investigation. The Attorney General answered that he could not comment on conversations with the White House. 

Watch the full exchange: