Last week, it was widely reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had offered to resign because of Trump's criticism of his decision to recuse himself from all investigations related to the Russian Federation and the Trump election campaign, in which Sessions had played a prominent role. Trump on Friday said the person conducting that probe was the individual who had told him to dismiss James Comey, who had been at the head of the bureau from 2013 until he was sacked early last month.
The President is not a direct subject of the investigation, according to former FBI Director James Comey. "Witch Hunt", the president said on Twitter.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, has maintained complete innocence in the Russian Federation probe, calling the investigation into his possible ties the "biggest witch hunt in American history".
The focus on Rosenstein sharpened Friday because the President attacked the deputy attorney general in a tweet, blaming him for what he terms a "witch hunt". There is no public statement from special counsel's investigation that Mueller is focusing on the firing of Comey, as opposed to other events like Comey's claim that Trump improperly pressured him to drop an investigation into Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.
Rosenstein, 52, has said little publicly, but a cryptic statement he released late Thursday captured some of the strain and frustration he is probably feeling about the numerous unauthorized leaks about the Russian Federation investigation that have angered the president, according to several of his colleagues and friends.
President Trump can not invoke executive privilege in relation to the Mueller investigation because it is being conducted by the Justice Department, an arm of the executive branch itself.
Germany are Confed Cup favourite; Cristiano Ronaldo eyes more success
In 2003, one of their players Marc-Vivien Foe tragically lost his life after collapsing during their semi-final against Colombia. The 24-year-old is part of the Socceroos squad for the eight-team tournament, being held a year before the World Cup.
A Justice official said Rosenstein was motivated in part because of frustration that recent news stories have unfairly brought on a torrent of "leak" accusations against the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Mueller's team.
The arsenal: Facing special counsel Robert Mueller's still-growing team of 13 prosecutorial killers, Trump is building his own arsenal. But Rosenstein, too, may ultimately have to hand off oversight given his role in Trump's decision to fire Comey. "It would be standard practice for the Special Counsel to examine financial records to look for anything related to Russia", Gorelick told the Washington Post.
Earlier this month, Rosenstein said that "if anything that I did winds up being relevant to his investigation then, as Director Mueller and I discussed, if there's a need from me to recuse, I will".
For example, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich accused Mueller of hiring Democratic political donors and called Mueller the "tip of the deep state spear", a conspiracy theory reference. The order also covers separate inquiries into several key Trump associates including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, campaign adviser Paul Manafort, foreign policy aide Carter Page and outside adviser Roger Stone.
The White House has directed questions for details to outside legal counsel, which has not responded. Pence headed the Trump transition until Inauguration Day.
Vice President Mike Pence has also hired a private lawyer to represent his interests in the expanding probe. The memo asks for preservation of electronic communications and data, telephone logs, audio recordings, videos, calendars and other items.
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