Deputy AG knew Comey was out
Senators say he knew of pending ouster before memo
WASHINGTON — The No. 2 official at the Justice Department told senators Thursday that he knew President Donald Trump wanted to fire James Comey before he wrote a letter criticizing the FBI director.
In an unusual closeddoor briefing with the full Senate, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein offered a few new details about the frenetic nine days that have thrown the White House into crisis, including Comey’s firing and Rosenstein’s decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel. In that role, Mueller will head an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the election and possible collusion with figures in the Trump campaign.
At Trump’s request, Rosenstein last week wrote a letter that laid out the case for Comey’s firing, focused on what Rosenstein said was Come y’ s improper handling of the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Initially, the White House claimed Trump fired Comey based on Rosenstein’s recommendation, though Trump later said he planned on removing the FBI director regardless.
Though some have suggested Rosenstein was used by the White House as a pawn to justify Comey’s firing, senators said Rosen stein told them Thursday he was aware ofTrump’splans.
“He knew that Comey was going to be removed prior to him writing his memo,” Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., told reporters after emerging from the session.
“He knew the day before,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, theNo. 2 Democrat in the Senate. “OnMay 8 he learned.”
Rosenstein’s visit to Capitol Hill was originally planned to discuss Comey’s firing and the future of the Russia investigation, but the meeting was quickly dominated by Rosenstein’s surprise decision Wednesday to appointMueller.
According to Durbin, Rosenstein said he named Mueller to “make certain the American people thought this would be handled fairly and justly.”
Rosenstein was careful not to address some other recent revelations in the fast-moving controversy, senators said, including reports that Comey wrote his own memo detailing a private conversation he says he had with Trump when the president asked him to end an investigation into Michael Flynn, just after Flynn had been pushed out as national security adviser for lying about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Asked during a news briefing with visiting Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos if he'd done anything that might merit prosecution or even impeachment, the president gave a swift denial.
Did he urge Comey at a February meeting to drop his probe of the Russia connections of Flynn? “No. No. Next question.” Did he collude with Russia in his campaign to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton?
“Everybody, even my enemies, have said there is no collusion,” he maintained.
Earlier during an appearance with Santos in theOval Office, Trump said he was “very close” to naming a replacement for Comey. Former Democratic and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, who was among four candidates the president interviewed at the White House on Wednesday, was seen as the front-runner.
Republicans and Democrats were relieved by the appointment of Mueller, a former FBI director.
But the naming of a special counsel has also raised questions about how to proceed with anumberof Russia-related investigations already underway in Congress.
“The shock to the body is this is now considered a criminal investigation,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS. whohad opposednaming a special counsel. “And Congress’ ability to conduct an investigation of all things Russia is severely limited.”
Graham said some potential witnesses might refuse to cooperate out of concern for self-incrimination. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., indicated Thursday that Flynn may not willingly meet the committee’s subpoena request for information, though Democrats vowed to push the issue.
“I am going to go to the mat — go to the mat — to make sure that this subpoena with Mr. Flynn is carried out,” said Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon.
Comey, senators believed, would be a more willing witness who would work with Mueller as well as the oversight committees onCapitolHill.
Democrats and some Republicans insisted that the congressional panels would not take a backseat to Mueller’swork.
Democrats also are pressing an inquiry into Trump’s statements that may have revealed secret intelligence to two top Russian officials. Three Democratic senators on Thursday asked the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to conduct a “damage assessment” on whether Trump may have compromised sensitive intelligence methods.