Democrats aren’t finished with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and they’re using the Senate confirmation hearing for his potential second in command as an opportunity to grill him on the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia and the President’s baseless claim of being wiretapped by his predecessor.
Senators on the Judiciary Committee are questioning Rod J. Rosenstein, President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy attorney general, which is traditionally a low-profile position. Tuesday’s hearing is drawing more attention given the controversy surrounding Sessions’ recent decision to recuse himself from any potential investigations related to the Trump campaign or transition, while Democrats have called for a special counsel to be brought in.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, opened the confirmation hearing for Rosenstein by saying, “Any talk of a special counsel is premature at best.”
“I can’t help but notice the selective calls for a special counsel,” Grassley then said, noting that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch oversaw Hillary Clinton’s email investigation and met with former President Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport last year, though she said at the time she’d accept the findings of the FBI. “Where were the calls from the Democratic leadership for a special counsel?”
Last week, details emerged about two meetings Sessions had last year with the Russian ambassador to the US that he did not disclose during his confirmation process. If confirmed as Sessions’ deputy, Rosenstein would oversee any potential investigations or prosecutions into Trump surrogates and Russians — including the key decision on whether to appoint a special prosecutor — now that Sessions has recused himself.
Rosenstein assured Grassley that he has not had any contact with Russian officials that he knows of and would have to review the facts of any Russia investigation before deciding whether to recuse himself.
“As far as I’m concerned, every investigation by the DOJ is an independent investigation,” Rosenstein said.
Democrats on the panel are using the hearing as a referendum on the conduct of Trump, whether Sessions lied under oath and how best to proceed with an investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election.
“I continue to strongly believe the case can be made for an independent special investigation,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said in her opening statement, adding that although the nominee may be revered and well-liked, there are deeper problems with Russia and Sessions’ involvement.
Rosenstein could also likely face questions about Trump’s claim from over the weekend that President Barack Obama ordered the then-Republican presidential nominee be wiretapped, without presenting any evidence to back up the claim. Obama, though a spokesman, has denied doing so, as has his former director of national intelligence, James Clapper.
Rosenstein, a career prosecutor, currently serves as the US attorney for the District of Maryland. He won unanimous Senate confirmation to his current post in 2005 under President George W. Bush and stayed on as the top federal prosecutor in Baltimore under the Obama administration.
The committee will also hear from Trump’s nominee for associate attorney general, Rachel Brand, who, if confirmed, will oversee the Civil Division, which defends the administration in the hotly contested lawsuits over the travel ban.
This story is updating while news is in progress.