Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, defending Special Counsel Robert Mueller from allegations that his Russia investigation might have been biased.
Rosenstein maintained there was no good cause to fire the special counsel, even though some members of Mueller’s team expressed political opinions. Rosenstein further rejected President Donald Trump’s assertion that the investigation is a “witch hunt.”
“We recognize we have employees with political opinions. It’s our responsibility to make sure those opinions do not influence their actions. I believe that Director Mueller understands that, and he is running his office appropriately,” Rosenstein said.
The deputy attorney general, who supervises Mueller, added that the two of them had spoken about what the special counsel’s team was allowed to investigate, but he didn’t say whether he had permitted Mueller to expand his mandate.
Rosenstein was also questioned about whether the president had ever talked to him about removing the special counsel, but again he refused to give a clear answer, saying only that “nobody has communicated to me a desire to remove Robert Mueller.”
Rosenstein appeared before the committee only a day after lawmakers were given text messages exchanged between two senior FBI officials that criticized Trump and expressed hope that his opponent would win the election. The chairman of the committee, Bob Goodlatte said the texts were “deeply troubling to all citizens who expect a system of blind and equal justice.”
He added that Department of Justice “investigations must not be tainted by individuals imposing their own political prejudices.”
The two FBI officials had worked for Mueller for a period of time, but even before their text messages were revealed, the special counsel’s team was accused of being biased due to having received political contributions by several Democrats.
Despite admitting that the texts do raise concerns, Rosenstein pointed out that Mueller was the right person for the job because of his credentials, The Washington Post reports.
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