WATCH: Ted Cruz GRILLS Rod Rosenstein on why he was “grossly negligent” in overseeing the Mueller investigation

As part of the Judiciary Committee, Ted Cruz took his turn to question Rod Rosenstein and grilled him on why he was “grossly negligent” in his oversight of the Mueller investigation as acting director of the Justice Department:

Essentially Cruz is arguing that either Rosenstein was complicit in the misdeeds of the FBI which led to the Mueller investigation or that he was ‘grossly negligent’. Cruz makes clear that he believes it’s the latter and not the former.

He then proceeds to question Rosenstein on why he didn’t ask more questions and rock the boat more, especially considering the highly political environment he entered on the day he became acting Attorney General.

Cruz also hammered Rosenstein for allowing an investigation into Flynn to continue predicated on the unconstitutional Logan Act.

Be sure and watch the full video, as the questioning gets more intense as it goes on.

Also, here’s an earlier recap from the hearing by John Solomon where Rosenstein admitted there was no evidence of collusion by August 2017 when he signed the scope memo for Mueller:

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appeared to concede on Wednesday that by August of 2017 there was no evidence that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russians to sabotage the 2016 election, even though the investigation into that allegation would persist for another year and a half.

Addressing Rosenstein, committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham asked him: “The whole concept, that the campaign was colluding with the Russians, there was no ‘there’ there in August of 2017, do you agree or not?”

“I agree with the general statement,” Rosenstein replied.

The revelation was just one of several bombshells the former deputy attorney general delivered before the committee as part of its hearing examining the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which sought to uncover alleged collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential race.

Rosenstein also told the committee he was unaware that an FBI field office had recommended that Gen. Michael Flynn be dropped from its Crossfire Hurricane investigation, with the former deputy attorney general agreeing that it would have “mattered” had he been aware of that directive.

The former deputy attorney general was asked by Graham if he knew that “in January of 2017, the FBI field office said, ‘we recommend General Flynn be removed'” from the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“I did not,” Rosenstein responded.

“Would that have mattered?” Graham asked, to which Rosenstein responded: “Yes.”

Rosenstein also told senators that he would not have signed the renewal of the FISA warrant for Trump associate Carter Page if he had been aware of exculpatory information withheld from the FISA court. “If you knew then what you knew now, would you have signed the warrant application?” Graham asked him.

“No, I would not,” Rosenstein said.

Noting the procedural errors found within the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, Rosenstein told senators in prepared remarks that the Justice Department “must take remedial action” against any misconduct it uncovers within its ranks, a bracing statement made in reference to investigative reviews that found “significant errors” in official procedures related to the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Rosenstein noted that internal investigations had revealed that the FBI “was not following the written protocols” in its execution of Crossfire Hurricane.

 


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