mr. rosenstein. now, ms. brand. you can give your statement as well as produce anybody who is here to support you energy on. ms. brand: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, ranking member feinstein, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear today as you consider my nomination. to thank the president and the attorney general for the opportunity to be considered for this position. i'm grateful to you, mr. chairman, and senator ernst, for your kind introductions today. although i have not lived in iowa for some time, as you mentioned, i will always consider myself an iowan. with me today is my husband, who i met at harvard law school and he was one of the smartest lawyers i've ever known. he also served in the department of justice. he was born and raised in manhattan, and so he was a bit of a novelty the first time i brought him home to color, iowa. we had some sport with him, taking him around to meet the cows and my uncle's farm, but he took it in stride and how he enjoys going back. sitting

mr. rosenstein: if that is your definition, yes. mr. kennedy: do you believe fresh interfered? mr. rosenstein: that is the conclusion of the intelligence community. i have no reason to doubt that. russianedy: can we agree has interfered in past elections? rosenstein: i am not aware of that. mr. kennedy: are you familiar with a branch of the kgb? that is who did it. 1968ou aware that in service a attempted to head off the election of richard nixon? arethey offered to -- you aware in november of 1984 service a try to stop ronald reagan from being reelected? no personal knowledge of that, no. >> are you aware that service a planted stories in the united states that former president kennedy was actually killed in a secret cia plot? >> i am certainly aware of some of the issues from the cold war era, senator but i do not recall those specific details. senator kennedy: well, can we agreed that russia's interference, if any, in the election in november was not the first time it has try to do that? rosenstein: i certainly have no reason to doubt that. senator kennedy: well, let's get down t

mr. rosenstein: no. i meant to say i think what you have in mind is an administrative removal or civil removal rather than criminal prosecution. if that's criminal prosecution that's just the type of case i would prosecute as a u.s. attorney. i have not been involved in civil removals. the decision about which i believe the decision about which immigrants to remove is in the first instance to homeland security but i'll certainly if i become deputy i'm sure i'll study up on that issue and consult with the experts in the department and i'll be happy to -- senator hirono: certainly because the d.o.j. has the responsibility to protect everyone's civil rights and due process rights i would think. thank you. >> thank you, chairman. first, let me say i agree with mr. rosenstein he should have a chance to familiarize himself with the matter before he makes the call about a special counsel but i would like to add to the record these proceedings then senator sessions op-ed in which he stated, and i quote, the appr

mr. ros rosenstein in charge. he described mr. rosenstein as a tough honest prosecutor and the epitome of the professional prosecutor. another senior democrat on this committee said she opposed the special council becausel becauss a long time. the ranking member also had this to say about mr. rosenstein and other attorneys assigned to the matter. quote these are two scrupulous men, they're both independent and i have no reason to believe they cannot work with the fbi and assemble a very strong prosecution team where warranted, end quote. presumably my democratic colleagues haven't changed their mind about mr. rosenstein because the president is now a republican is stead of a democrat. please remember, a special council inquiries under the current department regulation are not the best way to insure transparency and accountability my colleagues have called for. there is no mandatory or public report at the end of the investigation if no charges are filed. the investigations can just disappear into a black hole without the public eve

mr. rosenstein. miss brand, you can give your statement as well as introduce anybody that's here to support you and urge you on. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and ranking members of the committee, thank you for allowing me to appear here today as you consider my nomination. i would also like to thank the president and attorney general for the opportunity to be considered for this position. i am grateful for your kind introductions today. though i have not lived if had iowa in some time, as you mentioned, i will always consider myself an iowa n. my husband jonathan cohen i met at harvard law school and is one of the smartest lawyers i've ever known. he also served in the department of justice. he was born and raised in manhattan so he was a bit of a novelty it the first time i brought him home to pella, iowa. we had some sport with him taking him around to meet the cows on my uncle's dairy farm but he took it all in stride and put up with it. now he enjoys going back to pella. our sons garrett, 7, will,

mr. rosenstein to serve as the deputy attorney general. during that hearing mr. rosenstein should commit to naming a special prosecutor to look into the trump campaign's ties to russia. mr. rosenstein by reputation is a fair man. he's a career prosecutor. now that the attorney general has recused himself, mr. rosenstein's pending confirmation will have the duty to appoint a special prosecutor. if he won't appoint a special prosecutor, he'd need a darn good reason and it's hard for me to see one right now. whether or not mr. rosenstein will appoint a special prosecutor will be front and center tomorrow at the judiciary committee's hearing. and far away the most important question he needs to answer. as i mentioned last week, if pending confirmation mr. rosenstein delays or refuses to appoint a special prosecutor, congress should consider reviving a narrower version of the independent counsel law. also, mr. president, we should make sure, certain that the investigation hasn't been interfered with thus far. i've sent a letter today to the inspector general of the dep

mr. rosenstein. to to serve as the deputy attorney general. during that hearing, mr. rosenstein should commit to naming a special prosecutor to look into the trump campaign's ties to russia. mr. rosenstein by reputation as a fair man, he has agreed prosecutor. now that the reason attorney general has recused himself, his impending nomination will appoint a special prosecutor. if he will not appoint a special prosecutor he will need a darn good reason and it is hard for me to see that right now. whether or not mr. rosenstein will appoint a special at prosecutor will be front and center tomorrow at the judiciary committee hearing. and far away the most important question he needs to answer. as i mentioned last week, if pending confirmation law mr. rosenstein delays or refuses to appoint a special prosecutor, congress should consider reviving a narrower narrower version of the independent counsel law. also mr. president, we should make sure, certain, that the investigation hasn't been a feared with thus far. i sent a letter today to the inspector general of the department

mr. rosenstein is a fine man. an excellent long time prosecutor.ouse we are worried that the white house would not let an investigation in the justice department without a special prosecutor go forward. if mr. rosenstein is unwilling to commit to naming a special prosecutor or says he needs to be confirmed or can make an assessment, that's in sufficient. the need for special prosecutor is clear enough today to make that call. of course we don't need to meet, wait for mr. rosenstein. the acting atty. general could make the call today. if neither will commit to a special prosecutor, congress will have to consider bringingnl back a narrow or independent counsel law to see that this investigation is conducted properly. now, mr. president, on another matter. last night we saw the house republicans plan to repeal and replace the affordable care act. after seven years of talking about the same thing over and over again, you would think the republicans could have come up with a better plan than this. this plan is a mess.

mr. rosenstein was looking forward to a relatively behind the scenes innocuous anonymous type hearing and confirmation but as it turns out, not the case in the wake of that recusal, as you point out, jeff sessions last week recusing himself from any inquiries into the trump campaign and that leaves mr. rosenstein as the person who will make prosecutorial decisions in light or in the event that investigation that nbc news has been reporting that the fbi is doing into any contacts between the trump campaign and russia were to end up recommending criminal prosecution. he'd be the one who would make a decision around that, and what democrats have been frying to get him to do all morning is commit to taking this a step further, taking it into the realm of a special prosecutor that of course a little different from we've talked about a 9/11 style commission for example to investigate russia's meddling. this would be a criminal inquiry, and that's what democrats want him to say he'll do. so far he's answered those questions by saying i haven't had a chance to look at a lot of this classified inf

mr. rosenstein, i want to ask you a question. the. 's former national security adviser, michael flynn, resigned his position because he misled senior administration officials regarding his communications with the russian ambassador, and it's been reported sally yates, who once held the position you are looking to fill and was acting attorney general earlier in the trump administration warned the white house that mr. flynn could be vulnerable to blackmail because of his coverup. mr. rosenstein, knowing what we know now, do you think ms. yates was right to be concerned? >> senator, i hope i've been clear on this point throughout my testimony. i appreciate the opportunity to clarify it. at this point, i believe as a lawyer, and as a justice department official currently and potentially in the future, it's important for me to limit my testimony to matters of which i know both the facts and the law, and where i've consulted with the department of justice professionals who are engaged in handling the matter, so on issues like that one i app

mr. rosenstein i want to ask you a question. the president former national security advisor michael flynn resigned to the position because he talked with the russian ambassador. you are looking to fill this was acting as attorney general early in the trump administration. he could be vulnerable to blackmail because of his cover. mr. rosenstein, knowing what we know now do you think miss you was right to be concerned? >> i hope i have clear about this point, i appreciate the opportunity to verify. at this wide, i believe as a lawyer and is a justice department official currently and potentially in the future, my testimony matters to what i know for the facts and the law. as well as with the department of justice that is engaged in handling the matter. with matters like that, i would appreciate him share his perspective that you need to know the facts in the relevant information and you cannot prejudge the matter. the current acting attorney general with regards to many investigations are being made, in regards your specific quest

mr. rosenstein. mr. bentay, the acting deputy attorney general, could make the call today, but if neither will commit to a special prosecutor, congress will have to consider bringing back a -- an independent counsel law to see that this investigation is conducted properly. now, mr. president, on another matter, last night, we saw the house republicans' plan to repeal and replace the affordable care act. after seven years of talking about the same thing over and over again, you'd think the republicans would have been able to come up with a better plan than this. this plan is a mess. first, it will cost average americans more money for their health care while providing them fewer benefits. second, it will cut taxes on the very wealthy, making average americans pay more for their health care. third, it will raise premiums and costs on older americans. and fourth, it will remove the guarantee that ensures americans with preexisting conditions can get coverage. trumpcare will make health insurance in america

mr. rosenstein to clarify the scope of attorney general sessions' recusal commitment.i also asked as senator feinstein did whether mr. rosenstein had read the january 6 intelligence committee assessment into russian election interference. i cannot explain it but mr. rosenstein in two months had not read this 15-page unclassified report that is available on the internet. it focuses on the major issue that he will face initially as deputy attorney general and he told us that he had not read it. now let me add quickly. i respect rod rosenstein. he has served as u.s. attorney in maryland, appointed first under republican president, held over under a democratic president, and that says a lot about his professionalism as a prosecutor, his reputation and his integrity. it is just hard for me to imagine or believe that he could come before a hearing which he knew would focus on the need for a special prosecutor to look into this russian interference and not have been briefed to read the 15-page public report that summarizes the conclusions of all of america's intelligence agen

mr. rosenstein refuses to appointees specials prosecutor congress should revise the independent counsel law. also, mr. president, we should be certain investigation has not been interfered with us are. i sent a letter to the his department of justice to was urging him to open an immediate investigation to determine if anyone hasig interfered with this investigation up until now attempting to influence the direction but the attorney general should have recused itself one day number-one i asked him to do would almost three weeks ago on february 14. if he or anyone else has meddled in this investigation in any way. we those misleading statements only at suspicion to the attorney-general sessions has been in charge of thisis investigation over three weeks we need to know if he did anything to hinder the investigation because it is absolutely critical be protected the integrity of this investigation to ensure that it is completely independent going forward and nothing has already occurred that could compromise. but the inspector general can take this investigation on his own and i would urge him

mr. rosenstein? >> my preference is mr. rosenstein will commit to appoint a special prosecutor. that's his job. and appointing a special prosecutor is -- he's the only one who can do it right now. >> thank you so much for your time, senator. really appreciate it. hallie, there you have it. this is the drama we're going to be seeing unfold here shortly in this hearing. the question is what mr. ro mrmr. ros mr. rosenstein will do when he a is asked to appoint a special prosecutor. and how they will handle the ties between the u.s. and russia. there have also been calls for a 9/11-style independent commission to investigate russian meddling in the election and all of these broader questions as well. but the question here today, what exactly is going to go on in the justice department and what will the deputy attorney general nominee commit to do. >> kasie hunt there, i know you're just outside the hearing. we will likely be coming back to you later on in this show. we've also got coming up to talk about whether he can impartially investigate ties between the united states and russi

mr. rosenstein.s. brand and you can give your statement as well as introduce anybody that's here to support you and urge you on. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> all right. there you have it. the opening statement from rod rosenstein who is the nominee for deputy attorney general. very important guy because if confirmed, he will be overseeing and running the entire investigation into the russian hacking of the election and any alleged connection between russia and those close to the president. >> he had some interesting comments. he promised without making any specific reference to defend the integrity and independence of the justice department. >> of course, including senator blumenthal and others who said they would not vote to confirm him unless he'll guarantee a special prosecutor. not talking about those words in these opening remarks. we'll keep monitoring it. quick break. we're back on the other side. with the help of the lowest taxes in decades, a talented workforce, and world-class innovations

mr. rosenstein would support an independent prosecutor.s is an issue that republicans and democrats have been pushing him on to get a commitment given that as the number two of this department, he'd oversee this investigation now that jeff sessions has recused himself. mr. rosenstein really not saying one way or another how he come down on that issue. here's his exchange with dianne feinstein and mr. rosenstein. >> do you support the appointment of an independent special counsel to look into these matters? >> senator, my understanding of this, and it's based solely on media accounts at this point. at least one of your colleagues called for a special counsel for something related to this matter while attorney general lynch was in office in early january, and she rejected the request. she said exactly what i said that she had confidence in the career professionals at the department. but she had an additional piece of information. she presumably knows the facts and i didn't and she rejected that request. we have an acting attorney general for

mr. rosenstein said he wasn't aware of everything other than what he read in the newspaper bought that mr. trump is free to exercise his first amendment rights. diane, kendis. >> thank you. fire fighters facing a tough day on the front lines of a series of deadly wildfires spanning across the midwest. at least six have been killed. thousands forced to evacuate. tinder dry conditions and high winds are fueling the flames and burned hundreds of miles across four midwestern states. red flag warnings from colorado to illinois. today mr. high wind are expected. >> firefightersen southwest florida trying to get the upper hand on a wildfire burning out of control there. two homes have been destroyed by the massive wildfire outside of napeles. the fire burned 72 square acres and 30% contained. a dense smoke advisory i for the whole florida collier county through 7:00 a.m. >> this morning getting a sense of the extent to monday night's tornado outbreak in the heartland. the worst of the twisters hit outside of kansas city. injuring 12 people, damaging nearly 500 homes. the tornado packed wind of o

mr. rosenstein if in fact he is confirmed. so democrats have been pushing him on this question. take a look at how senator patrick leahy framed this. >> the question is does the president have the unilateral authority to wiretap somebody's phones? >> i don't know the details, senator, and i'm reluctant as a lawyer to comment on that. in a criminal investigation the answer would certainly be no. >> there of course he was talking about those allegations that president trump made, unfounded allegations that president obama wairetapped the phones at trump tower. he was pressed by senators leahy and finestein as well. he says there is no decision at this point that's been made about a special prosecutor. so so far he's not given democrats the commitment they are looking for. senatorlumenthal from connecticut has threatened to hold up the nomination entirely if he doesn't commit to it. >> i suspect we'll be seeing you many more times over the course of the afternoon. >> joining me life, greg be bernste bernstein, he worked closely when he was -- with rod rosenstein. his answers seemed

mr. rosenstein you served as independent counsel and you're familiar with the role of independent councilointment of a special council -- >> i believe what you're referring to is the regulation on special councils opposed to the special statute sunseted in 1999 include that a personal investigation is warranted and and the public interest justifies the appointment of a special council. >> let me ask the question but i think you just answered it but if you want to say more how would you decide whether a special prosecutor would be appropriate in a particular department investigation? >> whatever it is senator and there's various formulations as mentioned in the introduction. i was designated by attorney general holder to conduct the investigation. i wasn't special counsel but bottom line is it's my job to make sure all investigations are conducted independently and whether it's a law or statute i ensure every investigation is conducted independently. >> my time's up and i have two more points on that question but i'll do that in the second round. senator feinstein. >> mr. rosenstein earlie

mr. rosenstein for number two justice? >> i'm headed that way. he is someone who has a lot of trust. he came in with president bush was reappointed by president obama. has a lot of respect from prosecutors and lawyers throughout the country. >> you do have a sense that thought he was forthright today. >> the question on our side stems from the problem when then senator sessions now attorney general sessions appeared before committee wasn't straight when asked about his dealings with russia, we would like him to come before the committee. i don't think it was a frustration with rosenstein. >> -- contacts with people in russia. he didn't answer that. as a lawyer, you would have been angry if he had answered it, wouldn't you? >> thought it was important he said it's something he would consider. le talked about the standard used to appoint a special prosecutor. my frustration was that he had not read the non-classified report yet on russia. so here how i look at it. he is qualified but he is going to be stepping in the shoes of the attorney general of the united states whether it it come

mr. rosenstein: we would ask the chairman -- >> we going to leave this company>> that this hearing at this point. the spear pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chir lay b.c.s. the house a communication frothe speaker. the clerk: thepeer's rooms, washgton, d.c. march 7, 2017. i hereby appoint the honorable michael k simpson to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, paul dryan, eaker the house of representatives. theaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of e house of january 3, 2017, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leader for morningour debate. the chair will alternate recogtion between parties. all time shall be equally allocated between the parties and in no event shall debate continue beyond 1:50 p.m. ch meer -- each member otherhan the majority and minority leaders and minority whip shall be limited to fe minutes. th chair recognizes the gelen from connecticut, mr. courtney. for five minutes. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, seven years ago in march of 2010, the affordable care act was signed int

mr. rosenstein said, no, he had not read it. he was asked over and over again why he would not read a piece of information, a document so critical to his service as deputy attorney general. i'll set that aside for a moment and just observe the obvious. there is no question, if you believe our intelligence agencies that russia was trying to change the outcome of the presidential election. they were engaged, we believe, with up to 1,000 trolls in some office buildings in moscow, invading the internet, invading the e-mails and the security of the united states in an attempt to glean information that they could feedback to the public through wikipedia and other sofses. -- sources. although there is no evidence to date that they had an impact on the actual casting or counting of ballots their intent is clear. they wanted to pick donald trump as president. they believe he was a better choice for russian interests than hillary clinton. is that worthy of an investigation? i certainly hope so. to our knowledge, it's the first time in the

mr. rosenstein will do everything possible to conduct an independent investigation?fused to commit to an independent counsel or special prosecutor. >> yes, that's true but i would say this, andrea. i respect him as a prosecutor. once named under a republican president, he was retained by president obama. he is a professional by every standard, and every measure of his performance. we tried to zero in on the special prosecutor. now that jeff sessions the attorney general has taken himself out of at least part of this investigation we want to make certain whoever will initiate it and proceed forward is truly independent. ros rosenstein would not make that commitment yesterday. i hope he'll reconsider. >> as well there's now an announcement from senator lindsey graham and sheldon whitehouse requesting any data about fisa orders or other warrant applications relating to the tweet from president trump against president obama about wiretapping. do you think they, others in the senate, the intelligence committees perhaps should get access to these highly classified document

mr. rosenstein can decide thousand hand that will matter. the nominee did not make any commitments when asked about the issue. >> are you willing to it takes a look at this the committee infrastructure in place right now works. nunez saying he's going to have his first hearings on march 20th. is there a consensus that's reached about house to go forward on this? >> there doesn't seem to be a consensus, based on the way things are right now, you would really need the fbi and the intelligence community to really cooperate with the committees and provide them with the and about anything else related to the election. and it doesn't appear like they're willing to do that at this point. the fbi has an ongoing investigation, the intelligence community is loathed to share their information with congress or with others. and this sort of leaves congress in the point of not really having a lot to work with as they investigate. >> this stirs emotions on both sides. it seems there are a lot of almost like dots throughout. little pieces of information and

mr. rosenstein, will you commit that if you are confirmed, you will not impede or shut down any fbi or justice department investigation into russian inference to influence the 2016 presidential election? >> on the issue of foreign interference in american elections, i can assure you that you and i are on the same side. i will certainly support any properly predicated investigation related to interference by the russians or anybody else in american elections. >> i might say for the record that attorney general sessions was asked that same question at his confirmation hearing, and he would not make that same commitment. >> so, again, the attorney general front and center there, but, of course, rosenstein will not commit to appointing a special prosecutor. he would only say that he commits to an independent investigation overall. now, also, wolf, wiretapping was front and center. rosenstein was asked about the president's tweets accusing the former president of wiretapping at trump tower. rosenstein stayed away from that and only said it was the president's first amendment rights to tweet whateve

mr. rosenstein will get a hearing in the judiciary committee on tuesday. i think we can expect one big change from yesterday, everyone is looking at who is going to be in charge of this huge high proceed-file, sensitive russian investigation. is that enough or do you need an independent investigation? the only other big criminal option, for a criminal investigation, would be to appoint a special prosutor. one example we've looked at in the legal unit is patrick fitzgerald who when vanly was outed in july 2003, there were questions about what happened in the bush white house. by december then deputy attorney general, a man bit name of jim comey was deputy attorney general, and he took over, much in this scenario, because ashcroft recused himself. he said even though there was a recusal, they needed that extra independence. he went to that extra step to appoint a special prosecutor in patrick fitzgerald who pursued that case, which folks may remember, did lead to charges. >> is anything less than a special prosecutor going to be enough in this case? >> i don

mr. rosenstein, who's going to be, if confirmed, the deputy attorney general and be in charge of the overall investigation. does this need to be investigated, or is that sort of a red herring and is it pretty much concluded that the president was not basing that on fact? >> at this stage i would say it is a red herring. there's no evidence presented by the president. and president obama's people have said very clearly that he would never do this, that he did not do this, and there is no evidence that he did do it. what surprises me is that a sitting president would make this kind of an allegation about his predecessor and not present a single real fact. and that causes great concern, because what the president of the united states says has to have weight. i mean, i see enough disturbing information about what's happening in the world to understand that how important intelligence is and how important a president is, and if this nation has to take some action, we have to believe the president, and it's important. and so to put thing out there that are simply unsustainab, unbelievable, or not w

mr. rosenstein's comments came during his confirmation hearing before the senate judiciary committee. the nominee for

mr. rosenstein.he new investigation, so at least three investigations in the works. this will continue. francine: was president trump series when he said it? is there any regret in the white house that this was an off the cuff comment? kevin: no regret. sources i am speaking with over the weekend are within trumps political orbit are a bit flummoxed to say the least that this assertion was made, particularly if there is no evidence, and so should there not be any evidence, this complicates matters to say the least. francine: help me here. there was a guy named john dean a few years ago who stopped everybody cold on a summer's afternoon. i believe he commented the other day that we should be worried about coverups. is the fbi looking at the investigation of the actual things, or have they now moved on to also investigating so-called coverups? kevin: well, i think there are a lot of questions right now that are still unanswered. when you take a step back and you look at the folks that were surrounding

mr. rosenstein, unless you say yes to a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of trump aide escrowith russia and chuck grassley. he is fighting back. where is intellectual honesty. you dent demand special prosecutor for obama scandals. stuart: this man was a show-in before the jeff sessions item. liz: he is no slouch. he worked with ken starr on the clinton whitewater scandal. stuart: if we get contentious we'll show you, take you right there. byron york is included. we'll go there with you as well. check the big board, i'm saying trump rally is on pause. we're down just 35 points, right around 20,900. on pause, that is my qualification of the market now. >>> look at snap, trading well below its first trading price which was 24. it is down another, 7, almost 8% at the 21 level. >>> facebook new high, 113.37. that was earlier. we're still close to the 138 level on facebook. >>> weak outlook from dicks sporting goods. this is our continuing story of the retail ice age. pandora's stock is down. a report rival sirius may not buy them. 5% lower. >> i want to get back to the tweet that c

mr. rosenstein, if he ultimately is approved. i think that's the right thing to do.ion by congress but also whether there will be any prosecution for criminal activity. we're early in the investigation. the fbi is committed to it. but a special prosecutor would give that effort credibility. >> senator, there's an article in the new york times that stood out to me and it questioned whether there was a personal animous between e president and chicago. he had been using chicago in the spike in crime, as we know, on the stump throughout the campaign, questioning what is going on there. obviously, we know that is where his predecessor had been from. we do know there's a crime problem in the city as well. as somebody who represents the city as a senator, feels like it's something to be taken personally and do you think it's time to invite the president to chicago and start addressing some of the issues and start anew? >> i take it personally. i do represent chicago. it's a heartbreaking situation with the gun violence. the president, as candidate and as president, continue

mr. gorsuch are one week. ron rosensteineputy attorney general and original brand for associate attorney forral, both are possible those justice department on these -- nominees. the american israel public affairs committee annual policy conference, over 16,000 activists and policymakers will be attending the event and today we hear from house speaker paul , u.n. ambassador rice to haley, house majority leader kevin mccarthy and minority leader steny hoyer that starts at 4:30 p.m. eastern live on c-span3. after the failure last week of the republican health care bill, the house is back in session at 2:00 eastern the legislative day. billss consider three dealing with national disaster preparedness, the federal emergency management agency. tomorrow, house takes of a measure disapproving of the federal indications rule on broadband internet service providers ability to share customer information. live coverage of the houses here on c-span. two, the u.s. senate gavels in a 3:00 eastern where lawmakers debate adding montenegro to

the next deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein, was asked whether he would appoint a special council to investigate russia's involvement in the 2016 u.s. elections. mr

mr. chairman. i think he owes that to us. >> reporter: lawmakers are also pushing rosenstein to have a plan about how he would handle president trump's claim that president obama ordered wiretapping of trump tower during the presidential election. >> do you know of any basis that he would have the ability to do that without a warrant or without a, um, warrant from a federal judge in a criminal investigation? >> no, i do not. >> reporter: the white house insists the wiretapping did happen and they want congress to investigate. tuesday, the senate republican leaders agreed. >> this needs an investigation so we can find out what the facts are. >> reporter: fbi director james comey has asked the department of justice to publicly refute the claim but so far, the department of justice has remained silent. craig boswell, cbs news, the white house. >>> there's a new push in san francisco to make it easier for mothers to breast-feed at work. susie steimle reports if it passes it would give san francisco the most sweeping lactation policy in the entire country. >> new mothers juggle a million things just to get through the day. >> repo

rosenstein will also remain. one forced resignation is that of the u.s. attorney in manhattan. mr.ited him to meet with him in trump tower after the transition. afterward he said he had been asked to remain on the job. >>> coming up in sports, the redskins acquired a new weapon for kirk cousins and he's ready to play. >> hello, redskins fans. hello, d.c. hapy to be here,p >>> it's easier to keep up with the cakardashians that it is to follow the drama with the skins. >> a new wide receiver possibly a new gm. oh yeah, kirk cousins signed his exclusive franchise tag. a lot happening on this second day of free agency in the nfl. let's start with the very talented wide receiver who immediately becomes cousins' primary target. terrelle pryor comes to the district as a free agent after a breakout season in cleveland. he had his first 1,000 yard receiving season in 2016 while also catching four touchdowns. pryor's numbers last year departed desean jackson. pryor will be slightly cheaper for washington costing them 8 million on a one-year deal. >> talked with different teams. washington ga

mr. trump's wiretap claims. >> i think smartest, most deliberative way to address this situation is to ask house and senate to look into this. >> reporter: as lawmakers grilled the president nominee for deputy attorney general rod rosenstein is there any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump campaign communicated with the russian government what will you do. >> if there is such communication was in violation of the federal law, senator i would assure an appropriate investigation. >> reporter: if confirmed he could deciding whether to bring charges in to russian involvement in the 2016 election. hanna daniels for cbs-3 "eyewitness news". >>> president trump surprised first wave of the tourist to come through the white house since taking office. >> the president welcomed small crowd of visitors to the e wing, take a look he even picks up 10 year-old jack from birmingham, alabama from the crowd and gave him a big hug. white house had been closed for tours since inauguration day. >> coming up why alex baldwin says his days of portraying president trump on saturday night live could be number. >> cooking with confidence. >> we're making lasagna today. >> place for people with disabilities to get hand on lessons in cook

mr. rosenstein to serve as the deputy attorney general. during that hearing mr. rosenstein should commit to naming a special prosecutor to look into the trump campaign's ties to russia. mr. rosenstein by reputation is a fair man. he's a career prosecutor. now that the attorney general has recused himself, mr. rosenstein's pending confirmation will have the duty to appoint a special prosecutor. if he won't appoint a special prosecutor, he'd need a darn good reason and it's hard for me to see one right now. whether or not mr. rosenstein will appoint a special prosecutor will be front and center tomorrow at the judiciary committee's hearing. and far away the most important question he needs to answer. as i mentioned last week, if pending confirmation mr. rosenstein delays or refuses to appoint a special prosecutor, congress should consider reviving a narrower version of the independent counsel law. also, mr. president, we should make sure, certain that the investigation hasn't been interfered with thus far. i've sent a letter today to the inspector general of the dep