Rosenstein Defends Barr: ‘This Notion That He’s Trying To Mislead People’ Is ‘Bizarre’

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 26: U.S. Attorney General William Barr (R) listens as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (L) introduces him during a Department of Justice African American History Month Observance Progr... WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 26: U.S. Attorney General William Barr (R) listens as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (L) introduces him during a Department of Justice African American History Month Observance Program at the Department of Justice February 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defended Attorney General William Barr’s handling of special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report in an interview with The Wall Street Journal Thursday.

Referring to Barr’s initial four-page summary of Mueller’s mammoth report, Rosenstein told the Journal that the attorney general was “being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that he’s trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre.”

“It would be one thing if you put out a letter and said, ‘I’m not going to give you the report,’” Rosenstein told the Journal. “What he said is, ‘Look, it’s going to take a while to process the report. In the meantime, people really want to know what’s in it. I’m going to give you the top-line conclusions.’ That’s all he was trying to do.”

On Tuesday, Barr said a redacted version of Mueller’s final report would be ready “within a week.”

Rosenstein appointed Mueller in 2017, and on Thursday confirmed reports that he extended his stay at the Justice Department at Barr’s request. “For me, it’s a real privilege,” he said.

The public, Rosenstein told the Journal, should have “tremendous confidence” in the attorney general as he works with Mueller’s team to make redactions to the report.

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for tobie tobie says:

    Rosenstein is showing his true colors these days. We should have known this when he did everything in his power to prevent Kavanaugh’s work for the Bush administration from ever seeing the light of day.

  2. In the meantime, people really want to know what’s in it. I’m going to give you the top-line conclusions.’ That’s all he was trying to do.”

    No, Rosenstein. He has to give some in Congress the whole report.

    This is completely unsatisfactory.

  3. This is some pretty major brown-nosing from Rosenstein; wonder if they’ve got film of him in bed with a dead woman or a live boy.

  4. Rosenstein told the Journal that the attorney general was “being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that he’s trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre.”

    Says the guy who drafted the CYA memo for Trump to shiv Comey.

  5. This is why he’s staying on? To mitigate the “heat” of the Mueller Report?

    Ugh.

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