Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Deadline,” former Justice Department spokesman Matt Miller said people should “take to the streets” over President Donald Trump removing Attorney General Jeff Sessions and appointing Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general.

Miller said, “The timing of this is so suspect because we’re so close to the end of the Mueller investigation. Whitaker coming in right now might be at the critical time to stop the key steps that need to happen, indictments or referral to Congress from taking place. I really do think this is a national emergency. I don’t think you can overstate the gravity of the situation. And it’s incumbent upon everyone in public life to respond to this like it’s an emergency.”

He continued, “This isn’t like all of Trump’s other attempts to interfere with the investigation. He’s reached over and found the one person among dozens of political appointees at the Justice Department who has a preordained hostility, publicly stated hostility to the investigation. I think for people in Congress, they need to step up and object to this. I think for the broad public, this is the time to maybe take to the streets and say this is not what you expect out of the government. I have a message for people at the Justice Department. There are a number of senior political appointees at the Justice Department. Republican appointees who believe in the rule of law and believe in this investigation, believe in what Bob Mueller and Rosenstein have done. The country needs to hear from them in the next few days. This is a crisis moment. They need to step forward and make their voices heard, in mass resignations if necessary, to say they just will not stand for this abuse of the Justice Department’s independence.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN