Rosenstein to Testify as Part of Graham’s Senate Judiciary Committee Russia Investigation Probe

A notice of committee hearing was released today by Lindsey Graham’s Senate Judiciary Committee announcing that former Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein would be called to testify regarding the Russia investigation probe.

Blast from the past: Former DAG Rod Rosenstein will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week about Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s counterintel investigation into whether the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia in 2016

Blast from the past: Former DAG Rod Rosenstein will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week about Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI's counterintel investigation into whether the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia in 2016 pic.twitter.com/nNSTcg6cBc

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) May 27, 2020

From the Hill:

Rosenstein, in a statement, confirmed that he would testify. 

“I am grateful to Chairman Graham for the opportunity to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about information that has come to light concerning the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act process and the FBI’s counterintelligence decision-making, as a result of completed inquiries by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz and ongoing reviews by U.S. Attorneys John Durham and Jeff Jensen,” he said. 

Rosenstein left the Justice Department last year after two years in the Trump administration. He had increasingly become a target of the president’s ire. 

The Senate easily confirmed Rosenstein to the Justice Department’s No. 2 role in a 94-6 vote, but he quickly became a source of controversy. 

First, he authored the memo Trump initially used to fire former FBI Director James Comey. In the wake of Comey’s firing Rosenstein subsequently appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russia’s election meddling and the Trump campaign.

His role made him a target for Republicans on Capitol Hill and led to a showdown with House conservatives who floated impeaching him, saying he stonewalled their documents request. Trump allies also targeted him after the FBI raided the residence and hotel room of the president’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen. 

He could face tough questions from Senate Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, who have grown increasingly skeptical about the decision to appoint Mueller as a special counsel.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chaired the Judiciary Committee for part of Rosenstein’s tenure, knocked him during a floor speech earlier this month. 

“Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein agreed to give me documents and he never did. He blamed Director Coats who then blamed Rosenstein,” Grassley said. 

The Judiciary Committee hearing comes a day before the panel is scheduled to vote on a wide-ranging subpoena that would call for documents and interviews with dozens of former and current administration officials, including Comey, Rosenstein and other big names like former national security adviser Susan Rice and Attorney General Bill Barr.

A spokesperson for Graham confirmed that Rosenstein’s agreement to testify will remove him from the subpoena.