begin quote from:
Turf war in the Russia investigation
W.H. denies that Trump lawyers thought Kushner should go
Exclusive: Justice Department declines Senate request to interview FBI officials over Comey firing
Story highlights
- The Senate judiciary committee wants to interview FBI officials as part of their probe
- The congressional investigations investigating Russian interference are clashing with DOJ
(CNN)The
Justice Department is preventing Senate investigators from interviewing
two top FBI officials who could provide first-hand testimony over the
firing of former FBI Director James Comey, the latest sign that Special
Counsel Robert Mueller could be investigating the circumstances around
the firing, officials tell CNN.
The
previously undisclosed turf war comes as the Senate judiciary committee
has not yet given assurances to the special counsel's office that it
could have unfettered access to the transcript of the interview it
conducted last week with the President's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.,
saying that the full Senate must first authorize the release of the
information to Mueller's team.
What
appears to have irked the panel in particular is the refusal of the
Justice Department to cooperate with a key part of its investigation.
The leaders of the panel, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and
the ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein, have repeatedly asked two senior
FBI officials -- Carl Ghattas and James Rybicki --
to sit down for a transcribed interview to discuss the Comey firing as
part of its inquiry into any improper interference with the FBI.
But
the Justice Department has declined, citing "the appointment of Robert
S. Mueller III to serve" as special counsel about Russian interference
in the 2016 elections and "related matters."
"Under
these circumstances and consistent with the Department's long-standing
policy regarding the confidentiality and sensitivity of information
relating to pending matters, the Department cannot make Mr. Ghattas nor
Mr. Rybicki available for transcribed interviews at this time," according to a July letter signed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Samuel Ramer, which was reviewed by CNN.
In late August, the leaders of the committee modified their request, hoping to reach an accommodation with the department.
In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein,
Grassley and Feinstein said investigators would "limit the scope" of
their questions to avoid the pending Mueller investigation and instead
focus primarily on "independent recollections, as fact witnesses, of
events that occurred before and including Director Comey's removal."
The committee, however, has not been able to interview those witnesses, despite asking that to happen by September 1.
"Thus
far, we've not received cooperation from DOJ and the special counsel's
office in scheduling those interviews voluntarily," George Hartmann, a
spokesman for Grassley, said in an email.
The
spokesman said there are "ongoing informal discussions" with the
Justice Department to schedule those interviews but the department has
"yet to produce any results."
A
Justice Department spokeswoman said the matter is a "question for the
special counsel." A spokesperson for the special counsel declined to
comment.
The refusal to allow the
Senate panel to interview those two witnesses could be a sign that
Mueller is reviewing whether President Donald Trump acted properly in
his firing of Comey. Critics have contended that the President may have
been trying to interfere with Comey's criminal investigation into
potential Russia collusion with the Trump campaign, something the White
House has furiously denied.
The fight over witnesses comes as Mueller's investigation is colliding with several inquiries on Capitol Hill, which are competing for witnesses and testimony over possible Trump campaign links to Russia.
The
Senate judiciary committee has not yet said Mueller can have access to
the Trump Jr. transcript, citing a standing rule of the Senate that
requires approval from the full chamber to provide any information to
the executive branch to use in a pending investigation.
"Both
the judiciary committee and the special counsel are engaged in
important investigations, and we are committed to being as cooperative
with Mueller's office as we can, which is why we've been in ongoing
communication with Mueller's team," Hartmann said.
The
challenges in obtaining the transcript is one reason why Mueller's team
has communicated to some on Capitol Hill that it would like key
witnesses to testify in public, rather than behind closed doors.
Feinstein told CNN this week that "come hell or high water"
Trump Jr. would testify in public before her committee, largely over
his June 2016 meeting with Russian operatives where he was promised dirt
on the Clinton campaign. But Grassley so far has been non-committal
about a public session.
"I'm going
to talk to Sen. Feinstein about that, and make a decision after we talk
to her," Grassley told CNN Tuesday. "But don't forget, we've got several
staff interviews. We've got to get the transcript. We've got to make
sure that the people that gave the transcript get a chance to check it
for accuracy."
No comments:
Post a Comment