ROD ROSENSTEIN
http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/395080-rosenstein-conflicts-undermine-legitimacy-of-muellers-investigation
In his recent
testimony to Congress, Deputy Attorney General
Rod Rosenstein undoubtedly intended to sound reassuring.
“I am quite confident,” he proclaimed,
“about my conduct throughout this investigation.”
"
Our intel agencies and some public officials within them are suspected of abusing power and misusing sensitive tools under their control as political weapons. The allegations reach far beyond the 2016 campaign and transcend party politics, which makes them all the more insidious in nature.
Combine that with the probes into Trump-Russia “collusion” and Hillary Clinton’s classified email practices, and the result may well be the most tangled web of overlapping investigations and competing conflicts of interest we’ve ever seen."
For his part,
Rosenstein has several potential conflicts of interest— at least in
perception. And in the realm of legal ethics,
perception counts.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:
1. Rosenstein recommended that President Trump fire FBI Director James Comey—
then handpicked Robert Mueller to investigate why Trump fired Comey. It’s akin to you or I being allowed to hire the guy who’s going judge our own actions.
2. Not only that,
Rosenstein’s pick —
Mueller — is a longtime colleague of Comey’s, whose own behavior was found to be “extraordinary and insubordinate,” according to the recent DOJ’s inspector general report.
3. Rosenstein reviewed and signed off on controversial wiretaps of Trump associate Carter Page,
who was never charged with a crime despite being tracked under four FBI wiretap approvals.
The wiretaps Rosenstein signed had relied, in part, on anti-Trump political opposition research known as the “Steele dossier.”
The FBI reportedly had not strictly verified the research as required under the FBI’s
Woods Procedures. If that’s the case,
Rosenstein (or those who work under him)
could be implicated in possible violations of those procedures.
4. Rosenstein is in the position to decide whether to pursue criminal charges against the man who provided the anti-Trump “oppo” research used for the wiretaps that Rosenstein approved: Christopher Steele. But implicating Steele — an FBI source — could call into question the actions of Rosenstein himself and his colleagues. Rosenstein has taken no public action on a
criminal referral against Steele sent to him almost six months ago by Sens.
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
5. Obstruction of justice: Under Rosenstein, the Department of Justice and FBI have
withheld and improperly redacted information Congress requested. One key withheld
text exchange was dated Aug. 9, 2016. It was between the FBI’s former top counterespionage official, Peter Strzok, and his reported mistress, FBI attorney Lisa Page.
Rosenstein told Congress in his last appearance 2 important things that were meant to reassure us that ‘all is well’…that FAILED to do so:
1. in the face of the DOJ’s inspector general faulting dozens of top officials, lawyers and ethics officials at the FBI and Justice Department, we’re to believe that any who are still there (and their friends) will do the right thing, even if it comes down to exposing their own misconduct
2. Rosenstein assured Congress that he would certainly discuss with Mueller if there were any conflicts of interest. He said if HE assessed there were any Conflicts of Interest he would step recuse himself.
There are quite a few, Rosenstein refuses to recuse himself – even now as he continues to break the law by obstructing Justice through refusing to comply with a Congressional Subpoena, Rosenstein refuses to do so.
He leaves Congress no choice but to Impeach him.
