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The case that President Trump and his allies have built against the Department of Justice and the FBI is at best circumstantial
And on Thursday, the various arguments that Trump and his Republican allies have relied on to suggest or assert outright In addition, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray categorically denied these characterizations of the FBI's work while swearing. Wray and Rosenstein, who appointed a special advocate, Robert S. Mueller III, testified Thursday before the Judiciary Committee of the House.
Let's finish the first GOP attacks launched during the Russian investigation and what Rosenstein and Wray have to say about them.
1. GOP argument: The Russian investigation is led by the Democrats
Some members of Mueller's team donated to the Democrats. But not all, as Trump often frames.
And at least one of those same Mueller staffers also donated to the Republicans. In addition, as Wray and Rosenstein pointed out Thursday after being interviewed by representative Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), They are not Democrats.
"I do not consider myself an angry democrat" ] "Are you a democrat?" Asked Gutiérrez Wray. "No I'm not," he replied.
Gutiérrez: "Mr. Rosenstein, are you a Democrat?"
Rosenstein: "I'm not a Democrat, and I'm not sorry."
Also, Rosenstein said that he was unaware of the conflicts of interest that Mueller himself what Trump has cryptically mentioned in a tweet on Thursday morning.
2. GOP Argument: Rosenstein Appropriately Approved Spying on Trump's Campaign
House Republicans declassified a memo in February arguing that the FBI was relying on politically biased information to get a mandate to spy on a former Trump campaign official, Carter Page. In this memo, Rosenstein was mentioned – just as it was reported that Trump was planning to use the memo to refer Rosenstein.
Legal experts said Rosenstein played by the book on the authorization of a warrant renewal to spy on a FISA warrant. Moreover, he was not really part of it. The original decision to spy on the page happened before Rosenstein was in the job. And it is not he who approved the subsequent spying; Only federal judges in a secret court can do it.
Rosenstein emphasized all this Thursday: "It would be to fail in my duty not to approve a FISA that was justified by the facts and the law," Rosenstein said
[It sure looks like there’s a GOP conspiracy to discredit the Russia investigation]
3. GOP Argument: The Department of Justice Hides Something When It Does Not Immediately Submit Documents to Congress
Rosenstein and House Republicans have been entangled for most of a year on various requests for Republican documents at home so much that they are investigating Hillary Clinton's e-mail probe and the grounds for the Russian investigation. In the middle of Thursday's hearing, Republicans voted to demand that Rosenstein hand over sensitive documents to Congress
but he is twisting on classified documents a natural tension between Congress and the US Department of Justice. Justice or, as Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to frame, a sinister action by the Department of Justice? "We caught you hiding information," said Jordan.
Rosenstein retaliated. Difficult. He was visibly upset and he denied under oath that the Department of Justice had infamous intentions.
"When you find a problem of production and questions, it does not mean that I am hiding something from you". "It means we run an organization that tries to follow the rules."
4. Peter Strzok's personal argument affected the conclusion of Hillary Clinton's e-mail inquiry
Republicans argued that it is unlikely that any agent close to The Clinton e-mail inquiry and Trump-Russia survey demonstrated political bias against Trump in personal texts, but did not put this bias at work.
But this goes against the findings of an independent report of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice. The report states that Strzok's texts were not professional but found no evidence that Strzok's bias actually influenced the outcome of an investigation. It has since been removed from the investigation of Russia
Wray reiterated this Thursday: "My understanding of this is that [the inspector general] found no evidence of political bias actually having an impact on the Investigation that he examined. "
Wray, spontaneously, defended his agency's broad characterizations (made by the chairman) of bias: "This report concerns a specific set of events and a specific set of employees." undermines the integrity of our staff as a whole or the FBI as an institution. "
On these texts, Rosenstein later added:" There were violations of the rules, I recognize it … I can assure you that the cases that are under our supervision will be in accordance with the rules.The people we work with day after day are almost all here to do the right thing. "
5 GOP argument: Rosenstein should recuse the investigation
Getting rid of Rosenstein would get rid of a lot of self-proclaimed Trump's problems Rosenstein named Mueller and endorses Mueller's work Trump could name somebody. a d & # 39; another to supervise the investigation on Russia.
Thursday, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) Asked Rosenstein why he did not step aside when he was overseeing part of the DeSantis and Trump investigation.
Rosenstein replied that there was no reason to say, "I can assure that, if it was appropriate that I object, I would be more than happy to do so and to let someone else handle that. But it's my responsibility to do it. "
Wray and Rosenstein, urged by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Also took the opportunity to say that they would not give in to political pressure to quit their jobs. 19659034 ] Rosenstein: "Congressman, at the DOJ, we are accustomed to criticizing our work, and that does not affect our work."
Wray: "Member of Congress, as I said On several occasions, I pledge to do this work by books in all respects, and there is no amount of political pressure that will dissuade me from that on either side. "
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