FBI/INTELLIGENCE/JAMES COMEY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump fired Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Mr. Rosenstein said in his letter recommending Mr. Comey’s dismissal that the FBI director shouldn’t have spoken publicly last summer after closing an investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. He also criticized Mr. Comey’s decision to announce, days before the November election, that the investigation had reopened.
Mr. Rosenstein, who was confirmed to be deputy attorney general by the Senate in a 94-6 vote on April 25, is a longtime federal prosecutor who’s worked for both Republicans and Democrats. In his new position, he is in charge of the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election and any ties to the campaign of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Sessions recused himself from any Russia probe in March, leaving the deputy attorney general in charge.
Mr. Rosenstein, 52 years old, won the backing of many Senate Democrats, with only six voting against his confirmation. Some Democratic lawmakers had said they wouldn’t support him unless he committed to appointing an independent prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation.”
-Aruna Viswanatha, “Rod Rosenstein, Who Is in Charge of the Russia Probe, Helped Fire Comey,” The Wall Street Journal online, May 9, 2017 8:35pm