Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has nothing but confidence in Special Counsel Robert Mueller, he said in an interview with USA Today on Monday.
"The special counsel is not an unguided missile," he said. "I don't believe there is any justification at this point for terminating the special counsel." It was reported earlier this year that President Trump wanted Mueller fired, backing down only when White House Counsel Don McGahn said he would quit if forced to let Mueller go. Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel, said that job only takes up "a fraction" of his daily work. He appointed Mueller to the position last May, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself due to dealings with a former Russian U.S ambassador.
Rosenstein also said when he was promoted, he thought he was taking "a lower-profile job," but "it's inevitable that the deputy attorney general will get caught up in matters that are the subject of public controversy. We need to do what we believe is right based on the facts and the law. To the extent we get any criticism from any side, we need to set that aside. That can't influence us in our decision making."
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