Deputy AG Stands by Comey Memo

During meetings with lawmakers Thursday and Friday, Rod Rosenstein stood by the memo that may or may not have been the reason for James Comey's firing, the Hill reports. "I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it," the deputy attorney general said. However, Rosenstein said the memo wasn't "a finding of official misconduct," nor was it "a statement of reasons to justify a for-cause termination." The White House had used the memo as justification for firing the FBI director, though President Trump later contradicted that, saying he was already going to fire Comey. According to the Washington Post, Rosenstein told lawmakers he already knew Comey was going to be fired before he wrote the memo—though he said the firing "was appropriate."

A number of lawmakers were left unsatisfied by their meetings with Rosenstein, who they believe was withholding important information. Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist says it was a Q and A with "not a whole lot of A." And the Wall Street Journal reports another lawmaker described it as a "waste of my time." One of the major questions Rosenstein refused to answer was who, if anyone, asked him to write the memo. He did say Comey never requested more resources for the Russian investigation prior to being fired by Trump, as had been reported. (More Rod Rosenstein stories.)