Rod Rosenstein (L), President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as deputy attorney general, listens as Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin introduces him during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Rosenstein did not commit to making a determination on whether he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations Russia interefered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI |
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March 7 (UPI) -- Rod Rosenstein, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as deputy attorney general, said he would not commit to naming a special prosecutor to lead an investigation into Russia during his confirmation hearing Tuesday.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., asked Rosenstein if -- under the appropriate circumstances -- he would support the "appointment of an independent special counsel to look into" allegations Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election in favor of Trump.
Rosenstein, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, said he could not make a determination at this point because he does not have all the facts, adding he would need to be confirmed as second-in-command of the Department of Justice to receive such information.
The confirmation hearing comes after it was reported that several associates in Trump's campaign for the U.S. presidency had contact with Russians, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The former Alabama senator met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak despite testifying under oath that he never met with Russian officials before or after the election.
Last week, Sessions recused himself from being involved in any future investigations into possible Russian meddling in the presidential election. If confirmed, Rosenstein would lead any such investigation related to Russia in Sessions' stead.
Rosenstein said acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente, who Rosenstein would replace, has not yet called for a special investigator despite Sessions' recusal. He also said former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch did not appoint a special prosecutor amid the allegations.
"If there were a need for a special counsel, [Boente] currently has full authority to appoint one," Rosenstein said. "I don't know at this point if Attorney General Lynch or Acting Deputy Attorney General Boente are right or wrong, but I certainly wouldn't be in a position to overrule them without having access to the facts that are the basis for their decisions."
