WASHINGTON (AP) – Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office has questioned Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as it probes the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
It is not clear exactly when the conversation took place, or how long it lasted, but Rosenstein is relevant to Mueller’s investigation because he authored a memorandum in May that the White House initially held up as justification for Comey’s firing.
The fact that Mueller’s team would speak with Rosenstein is not surprising given his direct involvement in Trump administration conversations that preceded the May 9 ouster and the evolving White House explanations of it.
But the questioning is nonetheless an indication of investigators’ continued interest in the circumstances surrounding Comey’s ouster, and whether it constituted an effort to obstruct an investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Mueller’s team of investigators is expected to interview current and former White House aides in coming weeks as part of that investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.
The people who discussed the conversation with Rosenstein, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Mueller’s team of investigators reports to Rosenstein, who oversaw the Justice Department’s Russia investigation following the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.