USA: Rosenstein defends appointing Mueller for 2016's Russian interference probe

W/S Senator Lindsey Graham ahead of Rod Rosenstein's testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington DC
SOT, Rod Rosenstein, Former Deputy Attorney General: "Many federal agents and prosecutors were working on criminal cases that officials considered potentially relevant to Russian election meddling. As a result of events that followed the departure of the FBI Director, I was concerned that the public would not have confidence in the investigation and that the acting FBI Director was not the right person to lead it. I decided that appointing a Special Counsel was the best way to complete the investigation appropriately and promote public confidence in its conclusions. As we now know, the eventual conclusions were that Russians committed crimes seeking to influence the election and Americans did not conspire with them."
M/S Hearing ongoing
SOT, Rod Rosenstein, Former Deputy Attorney General:
"Every application that I approved appeared to be justified based on the facts it alleged, and the FBI was supposed to be following protocols to ensure that every fact was verified. But investigative reviews published by the Inspector General in December 2019 and March 2020 revealed that the FBI was not following the written protocols, and that "significant errors" appeared in applications filed in connection with the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. "
M/S Hearing ongoing
SCRIPT
Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a new hearing over his role in Russia's alleged meddling into the 2016 US presidential elections began in Washington DC on Wednesday.
Rosenstein justified his decision to appoint Robert Mueller as a special counsel saying it was "the best way to complete the investigation appropriately and promote public confidence in its conclusions." He added: "As we now know, the eventual conclusions were that Russians committed crimes seeking to influence the election, and Americans did not conspire with them."
The investigation over the Russian interference into the 2016 elections regained its pace as Republicans seek to review the probe launched by the FBI, with the Senate Judiciary Chairman and Trump's ally Lindsey Graham leading the process.
Mandatory credit: US Senate