Trump rips Robert Mueller after Rosenstein testimony & says ex-special counsel proved he’s ‘most honest man in America’ – The Sun
DONALD Trump has hit out at Robert Mueller a day after Rod Rosenstein testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The president blasted the former FBI director's appointment as special counsel during the Russia investigation on Thursday morning.
Trump also asserted that Mueller's investigation proved he is "the most honest man in America".
"Mueller should have never been appointed although he did prove that I must be the most honest man in America!" Trump tweeted.
Trump's remarks came a day after Rosenstein defended his decision to appoint Mueller on Capitol Hill.
The former deputy attorney general said in prepared remarks on Wednesday he believed it was the most appropriate way to undertake the investigation and ensure public confidence in its findings.
"As a result of the events that followed the departure of the FBI director [James Comey], I was concerned that the public would not have confidence in the investigation and that the acting FBI director was not the right person to lead it," Rosenstein said, as reported by TIME.
"I decided that appointing a special counsel was the best way to complete the investigation appropriately and promote public confidence in its conclusions."
In May 2017, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel to investigate the ties between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and The Kremlin.
Mueller's 448-page report sent to Congress last April revealed a sweeping Russian effort to infiltrate the Trump campaign and detailed several interactions between Russian operatives and the president's associates.
However, the extensive report didn't allege a criminal conspiracy to sway the outcome of the election.
Rosenstein's hearing was called by committee chairman Sen Lindsey Graham as part of a Republican effort to refocus public attention on the Russia investigation and away from increasing scrutiny over Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and protests over the death of George Floyd.
The president's allies have tried to change the story surrounding the investigation after a December 2019 report from the Justice Department found notable errors and omissions in FBI applications to eavesdrop on a former Trump campaign aide.
The inspector general's report said the FBI gave senior Justice Department officials incomplete information – Rosenstein approved one of those applications.
"Every application I approved appeared to be justified based on the facts it alleged, and the FBI was supposed to be following protocols to ensure that every fact was verified," according to Rosenstein's remarks.
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