Rosenstein and Sessions Discussed Axing Comey Months Before Ouster US News & World Report, May 19, 2017, Alan Neuhauser
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was aware before writing a memo deeply critical of James Comey that President Donald Trump planned to fire the FBI director, and had discussed Comey's ouster with the future attorney general months before it happened.
The disclosures were included in Rosenstein's prepared remarks for a pair of highly unusual closed-door briefings he held with the full Senate and House on Thursday and Friday. The remarks were made public after his meeting with the House on Friday morning.
"In one of my first meetings with then-Sen. Jeff Sessions last winter, we discussed the need for new leadership at the FBI. Among the concerns that I recall were to restore the credibility of the FBI, respect the established authority of the Department of Justice, limit public statements and eliminate leaks," the text says.
It continues: "On May 8, I learned that President Trump intended to remove Director Comey and sought my advice and input. Notwithstanding my personal affection for Director Comey, I thought it was appropriate to seek a new leader."
Trump fired Comey the next day – a decision, White House officials initially said, was triggered by Rosenstein's memo.
The memo faults the director at length for his handling of the conclusion of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and her handling of classified information.
The memo stopped short of expressly calling for Comey's removal. However, its final paragraph reaches a damning conclusion:
"The FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a Director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them. Having refused to admit his errors, the Director cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions," the document says.
Rosenstein, in his prepared remarks for the Senate and House, vigorously maintains that his memo "is not a statement of reasons to justify a for-cause termination."
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-05-19/rod-rosenstein-and-jeff-sessions-discussed-james-comeys-removal-months-before-firing?int=news-rec
