Report: Deputy AG Pushed WH To Correct Initial Emphasis On His Comey Memo

United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein gives testimony before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary on his nomination to be Deputy Attorney General on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC ... United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein gives testimony before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary on his nomination to be Deputy Attorney General on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP - NO'WIRE'SERVICE'- Photo by: Ron Sachs/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein reportedly pushed White House Counsel Don McGahn to correct the White House’s initial narrative about FBI Director James Comey’s departure, which seized on a memo from Rosenstein as the justification for firing Comey.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday:

Mr. Rosenstein left the impression that he couldn’t work in an environment where facts weren’t accurately reported, the person said. The deputy attorney general objected to statements by White House aides citing Mr. Rosenstein’s critical assessment of Mr.Comey’s job performance to justify the firing.

The Wall Street Journal’s reporting follows a Wednesday night article from the Washington Post detailing how Rosenstein threatened to quit over the White House’s portrayal of his role in Comey’s firing.

During a visit to Capitol Hill on Thursday, Rosenstein told Sinclair Broadcast Group that he is not resigning and that he did not threaten to quit.

Initial comments on Comey’s firing from the White House pinned the President’s decision on a memo from Rosenstein arguing that the former FBI director mishandled aspects of the probe into Hillary Clinton’s email use. But late Wednesday and Thursday, the White House began to shift the narrative, placing more emphasis on Trump’s longstanding unhappiness with Comey.

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