Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein strongly supported the “appropriate and independent” Russia probe, emphasizing that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has already yielded results.
In an interview Wednesday with the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Rosenstein touted the fact that the investigation exposed Russians’ attempts to influence the 2016 election, despite having dragged on for over a year by this point.
“People are entitled to be frustrated, I can accept that,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the public will have confidence that the cases we brought were warranted by the evidence and that it was an appropriate use of resources.”
The interview angered some Republicans on Capitol Hill who have been pressuring Mr. Rosenstein to sit and testify about a report that he suggested wearing a wire to secretly record the president.
Mr. Rosenstein denied the allegations, and President Trump appears to take him at his word. However, the deputy attorney general did not appear at a session to talk to Congress.
Rep. Jim Jordan criticized Mr. Rosenstein’s comments Thursday, telling Fox News, “it’s just not right.”
“He is obligated as a guy who was Senate-confirmed,” said Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican. “He was a no-show, yet he has time to talk to the press about the Mueller investigation. Give me a break.”
The Justice Department is under pressure for the ongoing probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections and potential collusion with the Trump campaign, which President Trump characterizes as a “witch hunt.”
Mr. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
Mr. Rosenstein’s interview comes just a day after news surfaced that Mr. Mueller was just about ready to wrap up at least two major parts of the probe. The special counsel is reportedly close to a judgment on whether the Trump campaign is guilty of collusion and if the president did obstruct justice by criticizing the investigation.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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