Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein privately narrowed the focus of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s effort to get President Trump elected in 2016, according to a New York Times report that cites former Justice Department and FBI officials, leaving open questions around the president’s links to Russia as the country again attempts to swing an election in his favor.
According to the NYTimes report, Rosenstein told lawmakers that Mueller would look into “any links” between Russia and the Trump campaign. However, he told the special counsel to focus on criminal misconduct regarding interference during the 2016 presidential election.
“Do your job and then shut it down,” Rosenstein allegedly told Mueller, according to a book by journalist Jeffrey Toobin, with McCabe telling the Times that limiting the focus to crimes runs counter to an investigation over national security, including potential compromised financial relationships.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence reaffirmed in early August that Russia is once again attempting to sway the presidential election in Trump’s favor, but on Saturday, all in-person briefings with Congress regarding election security were cancelled, alarming members of both parties.
Complete story at Forbes.