Rod Rosenstein Face-Plants at Testimony, Admits No Cause for Mueller Investigation(says he didn't know what was going on)

RedState ^ | June 3, 2020 | Bonchie

[sickoflibs]

Rod Rosenstein is currently testifying before the Senate and it’s not going well. While there will no doubt be a lot more to come out as the day unfolds, there’s already been some highlights that are worth hitting.

For example, Rosenstein is admitting that he had no evidence by which to start the Mueller investigation.

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley · 3h Replying to @JonathanTurley Rosenstein just said he did not know that investigators by the early January 2017 asked for Flynn to be removed from the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. He signed off on these warrants and applications but was never informed of those critical facts.

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley Rosenstein insists that the information in appointing Mueller was based on that incomplete information at the time. He admitted that by August 2017 when he signed off on the Mueller investigation there was no evidence at all of collusion with the Russians.

3,230 10:42 AM - Jun 3, 2020

If he had no evidence at all of collusion, why did he sign off on it? Who signs off on a special counsel based on nothing? It’s one thing to have lower level prosecutors chase rabbits, but it’s a completely different thing to appoint a special counsel, which is typically predicated on probable cause that needs to be handled without conflicts of interests. Instead, Rosenstein, having no evidence of anything, let the dogs loose and told them to have fun.

If you watch his testimony, he’s doing his best to deflect blame to everyone else. That’s a weak excuse for the guy who was supposedly in charge. In fact, it appears that he let Mueller write his own scope memo.

Undercover Huber @JohnWHuber · 3h Rosenstein is absolutely imploding in this hearing. The most interesting take away is he’s not even trying to defend himself other than “dog ate my homework”

Undercover Huber @JohnWHuber And the most consequential thing that is going to come out of this is that Team Mueller wrote their own scope memo. Not only did they have no adult supervision, they were supervising themselves

6,009 10:43 AM - Jun 3, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy

Again, Rosenstein claims he signed off based on incomplete information. This was the most politicized case in our history and he gave Mueller a blank check without even having all the information? It’s insanity.

Shem Horne @Shem_Infinite Rosenstein is now saying he didn't try to mislead Congress, he said that he didn't want to comment on an ongoing investigation, and said that all the damning information that has come out about it he had no idea about. He is basically saying he never knew anything, what a joke. https://twitter.com/Shem_Infinite/status/1268192769480196096 …

Shem Horne @Shem_Infinite Grassley is now ripping Rosenstein for misleading him, Congress, and the American people about the General Flynn probe.

250 10:50 AM - Jun 3, 2020

Shem Horne @Shem_Infinite Rod Rosenstein is in front of Congress right now repeatedly saying that he didn't know anything about all the widespread abuse and lying going on and citing the IG report and public news reports as if he was just some random guy like you and me and not the Deputy Attorney General

496 11:07 AM - Jun 3, 2020

As I’ve written before, Rosenstein is not a victim here. He was intimately involved and his attempts to straddle the fence are weak and pathetic. His handling of the Mueller investigation was not simply ignorance on his part. We know that he was well aware of the conspiracy theories floating around given he expressed a desire to wear a wire while talking to the President. He didn’t think to actually gather evidence of such? That makes no sense at all because it’s clearly not true.

Rosenstein also claims that he would not have signed the Page FISA if he knew about the lack of evidence and that the Steele Dossier was discredited. Numerous DOJ officials are documented as being aware of the dossier’s problems at the time. The idea that Rosenstein didn’t know doesn’t pass muster, nor is it an excuse for his lack of due diligence on such a high profile matter.

It’s absolutely incredible just how corrupt the FBI and DOJ were in the first few years of the Trump administration (and the current FBI isn’t much better). What’s just as incredible is that they think they can play dumb and make it all go away. Rosenstein is just as culpable as Andrew McCabe and James Comey. While Lindsey Graham is doing his best in this hearing to cover for the guy, it’s not working out very well.

[simpson96]

“I didn’t know nuttin’...I’m a victim of circumstance!”

[jjotto]

Questions and answers in these hearings are negotiated ahead of time, with not much straying from script. They’re just theater.

[sickoflibs]

RE:”It appears that Rosenstein has adopted the strategy that even though he approved all these things, he did not have all the facts, and is therefore not complicit. And if the past is indicative of the future, it’s a strategy that will work.”

Obama told us he really didn't know that Obamacare would take away Americans doctors, and I had many Dems here argue that to me.

The smartest most intelligent POTUS OF ALL TIME couldn't figure out the obvious, that was their defense.

[timestax]

p i n g

[Lions Gate]

When are these scum going to prison?

[gathersnomoss]

Your question: “When are these scum going to prison?”
Answer: When Hillary hands over her “missing” emails.
So....any time now...any time now...any time now....any time now....any time now..........

[hawkaw]

Never

[Swanks]

Bigger azz hole beyond Rod,is Sessions. Unless, we’re into 8D chess, but i guess THATs a long shot,

[Cboldt]

Trick question, sort of. Who does FBI Director report to?

https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/who-monitors-or-oversees-the-fbi

— The FBI’s intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence. —

What kind of investigation was vs. Trump campaign? Counterintelligence. So, why does DOJ have ANY view of this? When Comey testified in March 2017 that DOJ authorized him to disclose a CI investigation in Trump campaign colluding with the Russians, 1) Huh? This is DNI material, not DOJ material, and 2) WHO in the DOJ? These questions are curiously not asked, not once, three years on.

Banana republic territory.

[greenishness]

Didn’t see this today, will watch it tonight but I was wondering what type of questions the Democrats asked Rosenstein. Did any Democrats make any good points?

[FLT-bird]

So Rosenweasel doesn’t know why he signed off on it huh?

His better be on the list of names that get indictments.