U.S. Sen. Dean Heller thinks a special prosecutor should examine ties between the Russian government and Presidential Donald Trump’s associates if the House and Senate investigations hit obstacles.

The state’s senior senator offered his take on the situation days after Trump fired FBI director James Comey, setting off a turbulent week in Washington, D.C. Heller called Comey a “Boy Scout” based on their previous interactions and said he was troubled by the president’s action.

“He has the right to get rid of the FBI director if that’s what he chooses to do,” Heller said while in Las Vegas on Friday. “His explanation and his timing — yes, that’s bothersome to me.”

That’s why he’s not against the Department of Justice appointing a special prosecutor to continue the Russia-related investigation if the lawmaker-led ones encounter snags along the way. “If they hit roadblocks, if they’re not able to get the answers they want or need, I believe a special prosecutor should be on the table,” he said.

The senator’s remarks were stronger than those he offered earlier this week. In a statement, Heller simply said Comey’s dismissal was a “surprise” and he noted that getting to the bottom of “Russia’s attempt to interfere with our elections” should be a top priority.

It represents the senator’s third major break from Trump, including the new health care bill and Yucca Mountain. Heller said he stands by his opposition to the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed last week.

“I’m a long way away from agreeing to what the Senate is doing at this point,” he said, pointing to unease about what would happen to Medicaid-expansion states, such as Nevada, and people with pre-existing health conditions.

Heller said he plans to share his concerns about AHCA — the House GOP’s plan to replace the Affordable Care Act — with Tom Price, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, on Tuesday. The senator also noted that he has shared those same concerns with his Washington, D.C., colleagues, including Vice President Mike Pence.

Despite the mounting differences of opinion between the Nevada senator and president, Heller said he’s committed to helping Trump succeed because that will help the rest of the country, including the Silver State. But that doesn’t mean he’s actively engaging with Trump, including via Twitter.

Responding to presidential tweets is an industry in itself,” he said. “To avoid that, I do not respond to any of his tweets.”

Heller spoke to reporters about those issues Friday after he attended a networking luncheon in Las Vegas. It was sponsored by the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Regional Transportation Commission and Laborers Local 872.

As one of the featured speakers, he didn’t go unscathed. Hecklers repeatedly disrupted his luncheon address, creating an uncomfortable several minutes as he tried to smooth over the situation amid shouts from the crowd. It was a scene he seemed to be hoping to avoid based on his initial remarks from the stage:

“No matter where you stand on the issues of the day, there’s one fact that I think we can all agree on — and that’s our country has never been more polarized,” he said. “There’s a lot of anger on both sides of the political aisle.”

Heller then thanked the Latin Chamber for hosting an event fostering civility.

And that’s about when the civility ended.

It started with a woman who stood up and yelled, “You don’t protect Latino jobs!”

Security officers at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino, where the event was held, escorted the woman out of the ballroom, but several others followed her lead. The hecklers periodically stood and shouted over the senator’s speech, referencing issues ranging from solar power to health care.

The protesters accounted for only a handful of the roughly 370 attendees, but it was enough to tarnish an event intended to serve as an opportunity for Nevada residents to hear Heller speak about current issues facing the nation. Heller offered a mantra that he said could apply to politics in general and not just this situation — “more listening, less yelling.”

Eventually, the hecklers got their audience with Heller. They peppered him with questions and pleas, such as keeping the Affordable Care Act intact, in a hallway before he left the casino.

Feature photo: U.S. Sen. Dean Heller during the Latin Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday, May 12, 2017, at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino. Photo by Jeff Scheid.