Rosenstein admits mistakes in Russia investigation
WASHINGTON — Former Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who supervised the investigation of Russian election interference, conceded to a Senate committee Wednesday that law enforcement made mistakes during the high-stakes inquiry, particularly with the surveillance of Carter Page, who briefly served as an advisor to President Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The FBI obtained a warrant focused on Page from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and a Justice Department inspector general’s report later found “basic and fundamental errors” in the process. Rosenstein said he would not have approved a renewal application for the warrant if he had known of the problems.
But Rosenstein largely defended the inquiry at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, giving his first testimony since special counsel Robert S. Mueller
III wrapped up his investigation in March 2019 — and since Trump and his allies launched a campaign to undo Mueller’s work and undermine his conclusions about Moscow’s role in the 2016 election.
Rosenstein expressed sympathy with Trump’s anger over the investigation, which cast a cloud over the White House for more than two years, although he flatly denied that it was a “hoax,” as Trump has repeatedly claimed, or corrupt.
“I do not consider the investigation to be corrupt, but I certainly understand the president’s frustration, given the outcome,” he said.
Rosenstein defended his decision to appoint Mueller, a former FBI director, as special counsel in 2017, saying it was “the best way to complete the investigation” that the FBI had begun, and to “promote public confidence in its conclusions.”
The White House said Rosenstein’s testimony was further proof that the investigation was fatally flawed.
“It was a travesty,” said Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany. “We hope to get to the bottom of this.”
Senators largely rehashed familiar arguments, with Republicans insisting the special counsel investigation was illegitimate and Democrats defending it as fully warranted.
“There are people on our side of the aisle who believe that this investigation, Crossfire Hurricane, was one of the most corrupt, biased criminal investigations in the history of the FBI, and we would like to see something done about it,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), the committee chairman, using the former FBI code name for the Russia investigation.
Graham said his panel would take a “hard look” at Mueller’s work, which he described as an “abuse of power,” and he questioned Rosenstein about whether evidence showed Trump’s campaign had conspired with Moscow.
“The president and his allies have been trying to rewrite the special counsel’s findings since the day they were released,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the committee. “But ignoring or excusing what happened in 2016 is really very dangerous.”