Deputy AG Rosenstein sees no reason to recuse himself from Russia probe, Justice Dept. says

By Sari Horwitz and Devlin Barrett June 16 at 2:31 PM

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein sees no reason at this point to recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel’s investigations involving President Trump and the 2016 presidential election, the Justice Department said Friday.

Rosenstein, who has been on the job only about six weeks, has privately told people at the Justice Department that he may need to step aside from his role supervising the special-counsel investigation, according to officials familiar with the conversations.

In previous public statements, Rosenstein has acknowledged the possibility of his recusal if circumstances were to change, and recent events have raised fresh questions about whether Justice Department lawyers could soon decide his recusal is necessary.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that the special-counsel probe is investigating the president’s decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey — a decision in which Rosenstein played a key role, meaning he could be considered a witness.

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