Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee today.
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley has been tackling some of the highlights:
Rosenstein just testified that he would not have signed the warrant application in 2017 on Carter Page because of the misconduct of FBI agents and the lack of evidence. He said he did not know that the Steele dossier was discredited by that time. He said McCabe particularly…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
…"was not candid … or forthcoming." Notably, we now know that the Flynn investigation found no criminal acts by December 2016 and now Rosenstein said he would have ended the investigation of Page which was the focus of the early justifications of the Russian investigation.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
Color us shocked!
Rosenstein just said he did not know that investigators by the early January 2017 asked for Flynn to be removed from the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. He signed off on these warrants and applications but was never informed of those critical facts.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
Rosenstein insists that the information in appointing Mueller was based on that incomplete information at the time. He admitted that by August 2017 when he signed off on the Mueller investigation there was no evidence at all of collusion with the Russians.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
Recommended
Sen. Feinstein did a good job framing the use (or non-use) of the Steele dossier but went off the rails by stressing that none of the prosecutions relied on the dossier. However, the fact is that there was never any prosecution of any Trump person for colluding or conspiring …
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
…with the Russians. There was never any evidence of collusion with the Russian, a point reaffirmed by Rosenstein today. This hearing shows the value of oversight and the still unanswered questions in light of recently released material.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
When Rosenstein’s testimony about “collusion” ruined the narrative again, Dem senators on the committee shifted seamlessly into “Russian interference” while obviously hoping nobody can spot the difference.
…Rosenstein said that he is "concerned very much" about the evidence known to the FBI that Steele's evidence may have been part of a Russian "disinformation campaign." Footnote 350 on the IG report has been more fully revealed that supports that claim…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
…of possible use of Steele by Russian intelligence. Rosenstein noted that he believed that the Russians were actively trying to hurt or disparage not just Hillary Clinton but also Donald Trump.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
…Rosenstein admitted to Lee that he was entirely unaware of false and erroneous material when he approved the FISA warrant. He admitted, if he knew of the omissions, he would never have signed off on the application…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
…Rosenstein just said that he would have preferred a "more politically diverse" group of prosecutors but still maintains that he does not believe political bias was a factor. I think Rosenstein is doing well in being honest and direct to both sides.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
…an interesting distinction drawn by Lee between "lying" and not being "candid." Rosenstein said McCabe never told him for a week about the concerns and just revealed it "hours before" it appeared in the New York Times. Rosenstein said that the information was important to know
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
I am switching over to the blog now for any running commentary on the hearing. https://t.co/HtEwsnleVa
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 3, 2020
Another laughable lowlight was when Dem Sen. Pat Leahy referred to the lies on the FBI’s FISA surveillance application as “mistakes.” Please.
Shorter: none of the last 4 years of Russia gate should've happened, and unfortunately, there's no time travel retcon possible since this isn't TV. https://t.co/ORywWMFxzT
— Jack, Socially Distant Listener (@listener_t) June 3, 2020
Robert Rosenstein admitted he did not do any due diligence at all, none.
— dootabb (@dootabb) June 3, 2020
We need serious Justice Dept and FBI reform. https://t.co/3Esg6RquTI
— Joseph Rio (@josephwrio) June 3, 2020