Rosenstein Will Ask House Counsel To Probe Committee Staffers’ Conduct

Longtime federal prosecutor Rod Rosenstein arrives at the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to be deputy attorney, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Longtime federal prosecutor Rod Rosenstein arrives at the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to be deputy attorney, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein plans to call on the House to investigate the conduct of House Intelligence Committee staffers, CNN and Fox News reported Tuesday.

The second-ranking Justice Department official will “request that the House general counsel conduct an internal investigation of these Congressional staffers’ conduct,” both outlets reported, both citing an unnamed Department of Justice official.

“The Deputy Attorney General never threatened anyone in the room with a criminal investigation,” the official added, apparently citing what House Intelligence Committee staffers said felt like a “personal attack” from Rosenstein, as reported by Fox News Tuesday, during a meeting earlier this year.

“The Deputy Attorney General was making the point — after being threatened with contempt — that as an American citizen charged with the offense of contempt of Congress, he would have the right to defend himself, including requesting production of relevant emails and text messages and calling them as witnesses to demonstrate that their allegations are false,” a DOJ official said in identical statements to CNN and Fox News. “That is why he put them on notice to retain relevant emails and text messages, and he hopes they did so.”

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