Rep. Ruben Gallego to Deputy AG Rosenstein: Appoint an independent special counsel
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein calling for the appointment of an independent special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and calling for Rosenstein to recuse himself from further involvement in the matter.
"No reasonable American could possibly accept the explanation proffered by the President that Comey was fired because of his conduct over the course of the investigation into Secretary Clinton's private email server," Gallego wrote. "Your willingness to allow your words and your reputation to be used as cover for President Trump's decision to fire Director Comey has compromised your ability to oversee the Russia investigation."
The full text of the letter is below and a signed copy of the letter can be found here.
May 10, 2017
Rod J. Rosenstein
Deputy Attorney General
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Mr. Rosenstein:
I write to express my profound concerns regarding President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey and, more specifically, your role in this matter.
In your May 9th memorandum released by the White House as part of its announcement regarding Director Comey's dismissal, you state that the "reputation and credibility" of the FBI has been undermined by Director Comey's actions. The same can now be said of the Department of Justice because of yours.
The putative rationale for the decision to fire Comey simply defies credulity. Throughout the 2016 campaign, the President openly trumpeted the very things for which you criticize Director Comey in your May 9th memorandum, including the press conference in which Comey editorialized regarding Secretary Clinton's actions and the Director's late October decision to reopen the investigation. No reasonable American could possibly accept the explanation proffered by the President that Comey was fired because of his conduct over the course of the investigation into Secretary Clinton's private email server.
Your willingness to allow your words and your reputation to be used as cover for President Trump's decision to fire Director Comey has compromised your ability to oversee the Russia investigation. Moving forward, in order to restore the reputation and credibility of the Justice Department, it is imperative that you appoint an independent special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and recuse yourself from further involvement in the matter.
I look forward to your prompt reply to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Ruben Gallego
Member of Congress