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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Rod Rosenstein Slams Former FBI Director James Comey in Speech Former deputy attorney general calls Comey a ‘partisan pundit,’ the latest volley in public back-and-forth between the two men Rod Rosenstein left the Justice Department after nearly 30 years, including two as deputy attorney general. Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein kicked off post-government life by slamming former FBI Director James Comey, calling him a “partisan pundit” whose firing was justified. Speaking to a group of city officials in Baltimore on Monday, his second day as a private citizen, Mr. Rosenstein defended a memo he wrote in May 2017, which the White House initially cited as grounds for ousting Mr. Comey. As the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mr. Comey was leading its probe into possible Trump campaign ties to Russian election interference. “I do not blame the former director for being angry,” Mr. Rosenstein said, according to prepared remarks that offered his fullest public accounting yet of his views on Mr. Comey’s firing. “But now the former director is a partisan pundit, selling books and earning speaking fees while speculating about the strength of my character and the fate of my immortal soul. That is disappointing. Speculating about souls is not a job for police and prosecutors. Generally we base our opinions on eyewitness testimony.” It was the latest volley in an unusual, public back-and-forth between Mr. Rosenstein and Mr. Comey, who said in a scathing New York Times opinion piece this month that the deputy attorney general lacked the inner strength needed to “resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump.” Mr. Comey didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. President Trump’s unceremonious dismissal of Mr. Comey became a focal point of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether the president obstructed justice. Within days, Mr. Trump said in an NBC interview he had the Russia investigation on his mind when he decided to fire Mr. Comey. Mr. Rosenstein named Mr. Mueller special counsel less than a week later, saying the public interest demanded such a drastic move. “I recognized that the unusual circumstances of the firing and the ensuing developments would give reasonable people cause to speculate about the credibility of the investigation,” Mr. Rosenstein said Monday, defending his decision, which defined the course of his tumultuous time as the Justice Department’s No. 2 official. “I determined that I needed a special counsel to help resolve the election-interference investigation in a way that would best protect America from foreign adversaries and preserve public confidence in the long run.” He said, “based on what I knew in May 2017, the investigation of Russian election interference was justified, and closing it was not an option.” The department’s inspector general is investigating whether law-enforcement officials overstepped their authority in the early stages of the Russia probe, including some actions overseen by Mr. Rosenstein. If that probe uncovers significant new facts, Mr. Rosenstein said he would reconsider that opinion “but I always need to base my opinions on credible evidence.” Mr. Rosenstein left the Justice Department Saturday after nearly 30 years, including two as deputy attorney general, in which he tried to steady the rocky agency and boost its relationship with the White House. It didn’t always work. In September, his departure seemed all but certain following reports that he had suggested secretly recording the president and sought his removal from office, measures Mr. Rosenstein strongly denied. His successor, deputy transportation secretary Jeffrey Rosen, is awaiting confirmation. In his waning days on the job, Mr. Rosenstein tore into Obama officials, the news media and political pundits, saying he was right to appoint Mr. Mueller. “I think I made the right decision,” Mr. Rosenstein said Monday. “I respect anybody’s right to disagree, but in fairness, critics should explain what they would have done with the details we knew at the time, and consider how things might have progressed and how long it might have taken.” The special counsel’s investigation didn’t find that the Trump campaign conspired with Mosow’s election interference, but came to no conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice. Without a recommendation, Mr. Rosenstein and Attorney General William Barr determined Mr. Trump’s actions didn’t rise to the level of a crime. Mr. Comey’s firing was an early test of the apolitical reputation Mr. Rosenstein cultivated while serving as Maryland’s U.S. attorney under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Mr. Rosenstein pressed the White House to correct what he felt was an inaccurate depiction of his role in Mr. Comey’s firing. On Monday, the former deputy attorney general said he stood by his memo, which criticized Mr. Comey’s handling of the Hilary Clinton email probe. Mr. Rosenstein said he would have handled Mr. Comey’s firing “with more respect and far less drama,” however. “People spend a lot of time debating whose side I was on, based on who seemed to benefit most from any individual decision” to appoint Mr. Mueller, he said. “That is because partisans evaluate things in terms of the immediate political impact, and cable TV pundits fill a lot of time by pretending there is always serious breaking news. But trying to infer partisanship from law enforcement decisions is a category error. It uses the wrong frame of reference.” Mr. Rosenstein added: “My soul and character are pretty much the same today as they were two years ago. I took a few hits and made some enemies during my time in the arena, but I held my ground and made a lot of friends. And thanks to them, I think I made the right calls on the things that mattered.” —Aruna Viswanatha contributed to this article. Write to Sadie Gurman at sadie.gurman@wsj.com Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Ada (#0)
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------- "They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
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