Tag: Rod Rosenstein

Trump shows disdain for rule of law with new attacks on Sessions, Rosenstein, Mueller

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve was posted on the Washington Post website July 20, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: President Trump laced into the attorney general, deputy attorney general, acting FBI director, former FBI director and the special counsel in an interview yesterday with the New York Times that, even by Trump standards, is remarkable.

Donald Trump listens during a roundtable at the White House. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The transcript of the 50-minute session in the Oval Office oozes with brooding grievance and reflects the degree to which he has adopted a bunker mentality. It also underscores how much Robert Mueller’s escalating investigation bothers and preoccupies the president six months into his term.

Perhaps most importantly, Trump’s comments raise a host of new questions about his respect for the independence of the Justice Department, FBI and special counsel.

The president asserted his prerogative to order an FBI director to end any investigation for any reason at any time. He denied telling James Comey that he “hoped” the FBI could lay off its investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. “I didn’t say anything,” Trump said. “But … even if I did, that’s not — other people go a step further. I could have ended that whole thing just by saying — they say it can’t be obstruction because you can say: ‘It’s ended. It’s over. Period.’” (He didn’t specify who he meant by “they.”) Continue reading “Trump shows disdain for rule of law with new attacks on Sessions, Rosenstein, Mueller”

Intelligence Officials Sidestep Senate Questions on Trump and Russia

The following article by Emmarie Huetteman and Charlie Savage was posted on the New York Times website June 7, 2017:

From left, the acting F.B.I. director, Andrew G. McCabe; Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein; the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats; and the N.S.A. director, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Two top intelligence officials refused to answer senators’ questions on Wednesday about whether President Trump had asked them to intervene in the F.B.I. investigation into Russian election interference, saying only that they had never felt “pressured” by the White House to do anything improper.

The two officials — Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, and Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency — testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the eve of a highly anticipated appearance before the panel by James B. Comey, who was fired as F.B.I. director by Mr. Trump last month. Mr. Comey, in prepared remarks released by the committee after the two officials testified, said Mr. Trump had asked him to drop an investigation into the president’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. Continue reading “Intelligence Officials Sidestep Senate Questions on Trump and Russia”

Did Trump obstruct justice? Rod Rosenstein may have just provided another clue.

The following article by Greg Sargent was posted on the Washington Post website May 22, 2017:

THE MORNING PLUM:

The question of whether President Trump obstructed justice leads inevitably back to his true rationale for firing former FBI director James B. Comey — and to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s apparent participation (witting or not) in the creation of a justification for that abrupt action.

The New York Times has some new reporting today on Rosenstein’s involvement in the Comey firing that brings this critical moment into much sharper focus — and raises further questions that, if answered, would lend a great deal to our understanding of what really drove Trump’s hatcheting of the man overseeing the probe into his campaign’s possible collusion with Russian meddling in the election. Continue reading “Did Trump obstruct justice? Rod Rosenstein may have just provided another clue.”