President Donald Trump walks with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster from the Oval Office to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 16, 2017, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, . In the interview Trump did with NBC's Lester Holt shortly after firing FBI Director James Comey, Trump described Rosenstein's involvement in the firing. "It would be standard practice for the Special Counsel to examine financial records to look for anything related to Russian Federation".
Rosenstein wrote a memo last month noting concerns about Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation that the White House initially used to justify the removal of the FBI director. That happened after Sessions disclosed previously unreported contacts with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Since Rosenstein recommended the firing, he could be a witness in the case and ethically obligated to recuse himself. That had not happened as of Friday afternoon, but the possibility remains.
Pence hired Richard Cullen, chairman of law firm McGuireWoods and a former federal prosecutor who has long ties to Comey, to help him respond to inquiries from Mueller, a spokesman said. Comey said he took this "hope", coming from the president of the United States, as a direction. Rosenstein also insisted Mueller's investigation would have the resources it needs.
A person familiar with Trump's tweet said the President was referencing news reports that he is under investigation and was not indicating that he's been personally informed by the special counsel that he is a target of the probe. What is clear is that he could order the Justice Department to ax Mueller, which may result in Rosenstein's departure and would certainly intensify the uproar over the investigation.
Trump was set to escape the Washington pressure cooker today.
Gloria Allred to Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse during his sexual assault trial , Friday, June 16, 2017, in Norristown, Pa . It continued, "We are confident that these proceedings have given a voice to the many victims who felt powerless and silenced".
If Rosenstein were out of the picture, responsibility for overseeing Mueller's investigation - and deciding his fate - would fall to Rachel Brand, the department's associate attorney general.
After Boente, the responsibility would fall to the US attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina and then the USA attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Someone else would have to fill that role. The other is this: The president has reportedly spent a good deal of time in recent weeks berating Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russian Federation probe.
President Trump is on his way to Miami, where he plans to announce changes to US policy toward Cuba.
In that memo, however, Rosenstein never explicitly called for Comey's firing. But that doesn't appear to violate any ethics rules, either, Slansky said.
The Manhattan federal court lawsuit was filed a day after CNN sued the Justice Department in Washington, seeking the same information. "There is too much cross-pollination between his background and that of James Comey".
Citing a memo from the general counsel's office of Trump's transition team, the Times said members were given the order on Thursday for any information involving Russian Federation or Ukraine in the latest sign of the investigation's expanding reach.
Comments