Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has agreed to brief the full Senate on Thursday on the firing of FBI Director James Comey, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Monday.
This briefing is classified, according to a GOP leadership aide, and will take place in the regular secure room in the Capitol Visitors Center.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week that Rosenstein would be invited to the Capitol for a briefing before senators on Comey’s firing.
“The American people deserve answers. We need to understand the true nature of the events that led up to director Comey’s dismissal,” Schumer said Thursday.
Democrats have expressed their outrage at President Donald Trump for firing Comey and, as Schumer, pointed out, offering varying explanations for his decision.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday that Rosenstein should recuse himself from the investigation. Other Democrats have said they are convinced that Trump forced Rosenstein to write a memo Tuesday that was later used by the White House to justify Comey’s firing.
Rosenstein denied earlier Thursday he threatened to quit his post amid Comey’s firing and does not plan to resign.
After a meeting with Senate intelligence committee leaders on Capitol Hill Thursday, Rosenstein was asked by a reporter whether he threatened to quit.
“No,” Rosenstein said, adding he is “not quitting.”