Rosenstein says the public should trust Barr on the Mueller report

Deputy Attorney General Rod RosensteinRod Jay Rosenstein Five fascinating questions about Mueller's investigation show a glimpse of Sunday: the Mueller report in the spotlight An Ex Trump assistant: I can not imagine Mueller not giving House a 'road map' for dismissal MORE said Monday that Attorney General William Barr would take the "right decision" in publishing the findings of a special advocate Robert MuellerRobert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud Mueller's choice to lead the investigation on RussiaThe investigation into Russian interference in the elections.

"I think the Attorney General Barr will make the right decision," Rosenstein told the issue of Mueller's final report when appearing before the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.

"We can trust him to do it. He has a lot of experience in this area, "said Rosenstein, noting that Barr had appointed special advisors during his first term as Attorney General, in George H.W. Bush Administration. "I think we can count on him to make the right choice."

Barr, who has been confirmed as President TrumpDonald John TrumpSpike Lee urges Oscars viewers to vote in 2020: "Let everyone be on the right side of the story" José Andrés pays tribute to immigrants, Oscar women's speech Javier Bardem hits "the walls" at of the Oscars speech in Spanish MOREThe second Attorney General, earlier this month, has been encountering questions from lawmakers during his confirmation process, whether he would disclose Mueller's findings to Congress and the public at the end of the investigation.

Barr said that he would publish as much as possible publicly, in accordance with the law, but he was careful not to commit to publishing Mueller's final report in its entirety, a detail that rang the Democrats.

Suzanne Spaulding, moderator, on Monday asked Rosenstein, who initially designated Mueller as special counsel and oversaw the investigation, to explain the process followed by the Justice Department to address the end of Mueller's investigation and his report. final.

Rosenstein declined to answer the question directly, but said the 1999 regulations governing the appointment of Mueller had been drafted "in a very thoughtful way". He noted that the regulations stipulate that the special advocate is accountable to the Ministry of Justice, but also offers special services. advise the independence and authority of a US attorney.

"We will comply with these rules," Rosenstein said. "The special advocate is a subordinate employee reporting to the acting Attorney General or Attorney General."

He went on to say that the public should be "confident" that the investigation is conducted independently.

"I can not answer your question because the Attorney General will ask a question about the use of the information that is provided to him," Rosenstein told Spaulding. "But I can tell you that I think the regulation was drafted appropriately to ensure that we could be sure that the investigation was conducted independently and that, if that special prosecutor thought that something had to be done and we forbade it, there would be a report on it in Congress at the end. "

There has been massive speculation in recent days that Mueller is about to close his investigation, which includes a review of the potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow, as well as the obstruction of justice. . However, a Justice Department official said Friday that Mueller's final report – that the settlement should be sent confidentially to the Attorney General – would not be turned over to the Justice Department this week.

In two years, Mueller has unveiled accusations against more than two dozen Russians and six Trump associates. But the special council has said no plot between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.

Some critics of Trump fear that the president, who denies his campaign, collaborates with Russia and regularly mocks the investigation as a "witch hunt", which might seek to repress Mueller's findings to the public.

Rosenstein, who declined to comment directly on Mueller's investigation because it is ongoing, spoke at length about the rule of law and how the United States compares to other countries in the world. Monday's event in Washington.

During the discussion period, he acknowledged that this was a "politically difficult" era for the Justice Department, but was confident that the American public would look at today's department. with pride. He also credited Trump with making esteemed appointments to the agency.

"The principles of the department are applied," Rosenstein said. "We are taking the steps that are required and we are promoting the rule of law."

Rosenstein, who is expected to leave his post after about two years as a law enforcement official, also addressed the issue of transparency and said the government had reason to keep the information public despite a reaction. instinctive. in society towards disclosure.

"There are many reasons not to be transparent in what we do to the government," said Rosenstein, adding that it could be "very misleading" if the government was too transparent about the information collected because they were not always accurate.

"If we are not ready to prove our case beyond a reasonable doubt in court, then we have no reason to make allegations against US citizens," Rosenstein said, noting that he did not did not comment on a particular case.