I'm going to try to live tweet the @RodRosenstein testimony, but I'm working from home with a kid with multiple zoom classes today so I will probably miss parts of it!
@LindseyGrahamSC starts with Rosenstein's video comments about the sworn affidavit at the root of the FISA application...
Graham focusing on Rosenstein's comments about how false affidavits will face discipline & prosecution, Graham wants to see the evidence that it is happening...
Today's focus is continuing the Flynn investigation, appointing Mueller, FISA process in @carterwpage case & the coup in general...
Feinstein is now up for her opening statement. Claiming Trump is lying about this being a witch hunt & hoax investigation. Admits to errors in Page FISA & broader 'errors' lies that Horowitz did not find evidence of political bias & claims he is believable. But he found it!
For those who think Rosenstein was involved in every detail & should read minds of every, he points out he had 115k employees & hundreds of thousands of cases.
He concluded McCabe was the wrong person to run the case.
He concluded McCabe was the wrong person to run the case.
States that if he knew what he knew now, he would not have signed the application. Why because the lies told to him to trick him into signing it, have been discovered.
He is getting very careful around if McCabe lied to him. He states he can't name a specific lie, but that he
He is getting very careful around if McCabe lied to him. He states he can't name a specific lie, but that he
did not tell the entire truth to Rosenstein. That McCabe lacked candor & concealed information from him.
Scope letter discussion. Asked Mueller to investigate. The list of cases came from the Mueller team, through RR's team that interacted with them. So the scope was provided by what the FBI said they had predicate to investigate. McCabe's crew created the list of cases...
The matters were already open when he came to DOJ. That RR drafted the scope based upon information provided by the coup plotter! He had to have Mueller clear those cases... But the people who say RR created them are wrong...
Coup plotters at FBI concealed the exculpatory information from the top of the DOJ! As we have always known.
The subsequent investigations have revealed that the investigations were not legitimate, but that was concealed from him so appointing Mueller to investigate them was based upon information the coup plotters fed into the system.
Feinstein discussing the opening of CH under Horowitz's review.
She thinks she is poking holes in the theory the Steele dossier was used, but RR is confirming that nothing in the dossier was legitimate enough for Mueller to use it any indictments.
She thinks she is poking holes in the theory the Steele dossier was used, but RR is confirming that nothing in the dossier was legitimate enough for Mueller to use it any indictments.
Rosenstein confirms that there was bias on the Mueller team, he has confidence in Mueller's integrity but they had to remove multiple FBI personnel to ensure that.
Mueller wasn't a witchhunt, but the source information that started it was not valid...
Mueller wasn't a witchhunt, but the source information that started it was not valid...
Grassley goes to Flynn case. Why did you withhold Flynn documents from Congress? Did not intend to mislead Congress, as the case is pending, DOJ must not involve Congress in that. He didn't know of the exculpatory information.
Grassley, Steele dossier was Russian disinformation, did you have Mueller investigate that?
No, it would have slowed up & expanded the special counsel case. US Attorneys could handle investigating Steele & Russians like Durham.
No, it would have slowed up & expanded the special counsel case. US Attorneys could handle investigating Steele & Russians like Durham.
As for the FISA, the Steele dossier is not in the FISA. Info from the dossier was used, but the FBI claimed it was all verified through the Woods Procedures.
Comey firing & Mueller appointment question.
Who was the boss he was referring to in email? Checked Mueller's availability for SCO, Sessions is the Boss who was recused. Sessions asked Mueller for advice on FBI Director, but Sessions was recused from the SCO appointment.
Who was the boss he was referring to in email? Checked Mueller's availability for SCO, Sessions is the Boss who was recused. Sessions asked Mueller for advice on FBI Director, but Sessions was recused from the SCO appointment.
The with Mueller comment, he was literally 'with Mueller' in the WH counsels office. Asking a former DAG to step up & apply for the FBI directors job.
Leahy: Is Carter Page the only FISA warrant in Crossfire Hurricane? Doesn't say yes, says in his understanding... Was one concealed from him & us?
Rosenstein confirming that the IC has concluded Russia interfered with the 2016 elections. But we've been teased there may soon be a declassified Congressional report showing Brennan buried evidence that Putin was for Hillary...
Cornyn asking about Comey's firing memo.
Point to Comey's announcement that Hillary won't get charged but here is all the derogatory evidence of her crimes....
Point to Comey's announcement that Hillary won't get charged but here is all the derogatory evidence of her crimes....
Asking about Steele, Rosenstein says more important how the FBI assessed Steele's credibility rather than who he worked for... But the FBI failed to adequately assess his credibility of which that was a part...
Goes to OIG report footnote 350. Noting that Steele was a disinformation agent for Russian oligarchs...
RR is concerned that CH was based on a Russian disinformation campaign. But he doesn't know what Durham has found in the 13 months since he left DOJ.
RR: Whether it is Russian disinformation or ... other disinformation the FBI has to figure that out & if any crimes were committed.
Durbin uses Barr's quote about the grave injustice behind the Russian Collusion narrative. Quoting Graham about criminal conspiracy to spy on Carter Page.
Asks Rosenstein if those are true. The Mueller investigation was not corrupt doesn't discuss the underlying allegations...
Asks Rosenstein if those are true. The Mueller investigation was not corrupt doesn't discuss the underlying allegations...
Durbin wants to call Cohen, Manafort & Kilimnik, That would be fun!
He agrees Russia interfered in the election, but has no way to assess the assertion that Russia was on Trump's side...
RR catches Durbin taking unproven quotes from witnesses in Mueller's Report, like Gates & pretending that Gates' testimony was a finding of Mueller...
RR states he read the FISA Application, but that he was not aware of the exculpatory evidence being hidden.
Duh...
Of course he was not aware of much of the underlying information, which is why FBI personnel will go to jail for hiding that information....
Duh...
Of course he was not aware of much of the underlying information, which is why FBI personnel will go to jail for hiding that information....
The FISA did set forth a proper purpose, but the underlying info did not meet the standards.
Did not have the impression at the time that this was targeting of the president...
Did not have the impression at the time that this was targeting of the president...
Mueller's Angry Dems, if they followed the rules political bias would be irrelevant & he has confidence in Mueller that it didn't happen with his knowledge...
Unusually, he got the Carter Page FISA in advance so he could read it.
McCabe concealed information from RR, including only telling him about the Comey memos a few hours before they were printed in the NYTs. Material omissions from McCabe to RR.
McCabe concealed information from RR, including only telling him about the Comey memos a few hours before they were printed in the NYTs. Material omissions from McCabe to RR.
Sen. Whitehouse wasted his entire time ranting about Sessions, Barr & RR not answering his questions for 3 years....
Sen. Cruz, reading from the DOJ's motion to dismiss filing in the Flynn case...
Says Susan Rice's by the book only counts if it was Richard Nixon's Watergate!
Says Susan Rice's by the book only counts if it was Richard Nixon's Watergate!
Cruz asks about FISA. RR did not know Primary SubSource had disavowed it, did not know of exculpatory evidence, did not know FBI lawyer forgery of evidence, did not know Clinton & DNC paid for it.
My understanding at the time I arrived, I only knew the allegation that Flynn had lied to VP Pence & the FBI but did not know the exculpatory evidence in the Motion to Dismiss the Flynn case.
Klobuchar whines about Cruz comparing Obama & Nixon!
Good questions by Sen. Tillis, pointing out that the people who concealed information from RR need to be prosecuted.
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Sen. Hirono finally asks the wearing a wire & conspiracy questions.
Denies using the "land the plane" line & made no inappropriate promises to the president.
Denies the wire question. Denies that he suggested President could be removed by 25th Amendment.
Denies using the "land the plane" line & made no inappropriate promises to the president.
Denies the wire question. Denies that he suggested President could be removed by 25th Amendment.
Supports Barr's statement that he agrees there was no obstruction case!
The conclusion of no obstruction is solid & justified, Hirono's conclusions are unfair. No one involved recommended prosecution.
Sen. Crapo calling out Dems on the no bias claims from Horowitz report. Quoting Horowitz to RR on examples of bias to have RR confirm there was bias!
Grassley will be calling McCabe to answer all these questions to find out why the information was withheld from Rosenstein.
Important ending point, the Scope was the information inherited by Mueller from McCabe's people assigned to the team!
