rosenstein? mr. rosenstein: we make every effort to answer your questions fully -- witnesses have -- witnesses have, and they have let us know. us beforeommit to something reaches the press? mr. rosenstein: yes. rand?or leahy: ms. b ms. brand: yes. senator leahy: i was not in the as a young prosecutor when elliott richardson was in 1973. same question watergate was unfolding. he promised he would appoint an independent prosecutor and if confirmed, " it was necessary to create to the maximum possible to greet public confidence in the integrity process." he named archibald cox. he did that before that committee finished the hearing. russian hacking of one of our national committees, in this case, the democratic national committee, their efforts to influence our election, their continuing efforts on this country and other countries to influence elections. just as serious as watergate. that accessing a computer or a computer network without authorization and obtaining and disseminating another's document

rosenstein. i do not. this is about more than just one individual. this is about the integrity of the process. public faith in the institutions of justice. justice department regulations clearly provide for the appointment of a special counsel when there is a conflict of interest for the department or other extraordinary circumstances. the appointment of a special counsel would be in the public interest. general sessions was a surrogate for the trump campaign. he admitted that he met with the russian ambassador on two locations and on friday attorney general announced he believes he should recuse himself investigation could very well involve officials in the trunk administration. demonstrate factors there is an appearance of a conflict of interest. which is what is needed under the regulations. in addition, if you look back to december 2003, when attorney general ashcroft recused himself from the valerie plame case, that very same day then-deputy attorney general comey appointed a special prosecu

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

rosenstein. then the nominees will give their opening statements. we will have seven minute rounds of question. i know there are a number of issues senators would like to cover with the nominations so i will stay here until everyone has had the chance to ask all the questions they want. we will do more than one round of question and if dwi that will be five additional minutes. i am prepared to work through the noon hour unless the nominees need time off. senator feinstein. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. as you have said, today we begin our consideration on the nominees to fill two important positions within the department of justice. the deputy attorney general essentially leads the day to day operations of the justice department and directly oversees the solicitor general's office, office of legal counsel, and the law enforcement components like the fbi, the dea and the aft. significantly, the deputy attorney general steps in when the attorney general cannot, or should not, be involved in

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 department of justice michael horowitz. it was made public today. urging him to open an immediate investigation to determine if anyone has interfered with this investigation up t

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

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 of justice, michael horwitz, it was made public today, urging him te open an immediate investigation to determine if anyone has interfered with thisn investigation, up to now

that means that rod rosenstein would be in charge of it and i guess the questions today are, would he agree to a special prosecutor if there is no confidence that the attorney general and the department of justice can be independent of white house pressure? >> reporter: i imagine 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

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.

rosenstein.was supposed to be, you know, a run-of-the-mill hearing. but now not at all. democrats promising to hold it up, trying to block this nomination. unless the nominee promises to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged ties between the trump campaign and russia. this could get heated. we are going to keep our eye on this all morning. >> his opening remarks any moment. we'll bring you those live when they begin. >>> a new travel ban from the administration prompting a lot of new questions. later today the state department is going to hold their briefings. what do we know about this revised order? six countries that are muslim majority countries are included instead of seven. iraq has now been taken out of this, something a lot of insiders inside of the trump campaign advocated for. this also states current visa and green card holders no longer included in this travel ban. also worth noting the language that appeared that gave preferential treatment to christians, has also b

rosenstein is the sole holder of the job country george w. bush administration sosa served under president obama and despite the respected by democrats and republicans for experience working in sensitive cases in the face of political pressure. he was asked directly by one democrat if he would commit not to shut down any doj investigation into the trunk campaign in russia. rosenstein told the senator he and senator run the same page with regard to any possible interference in u.s. election by russia should be unacceptable and he would support any proper investigation into the issue. that to you in new york. nicole: peter burns, thank you. nicole: hawaii planning a motion in federal court says the state wants to amend it existing lawsuit challenging the previous executive order. hawaii expected to file the amended lawsuit today. the state's attorney general said the new worker is nothing more than a muslim been 2.0. >> a lot of people think the new executive order might be an improvement and it is from the first one. unfortunately it still has

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

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

rosenstein stayed away from that and only said it was the president's first amendment rights to tweet whatever he wants to. wolf. >> all right. jessica, thank you. jessica snyder reporting for us. coming up, the new republican health care plan is facing some headwinds, including from inside the republican party. we'll ask the chief deputy republican whip how he plans to get his members all on the same page as the bill makes its way through the house. >>> also, take a look at this live pictures from the white house briefing room where the press secretary sean spicer getting ready to give his first oncamera briefing in more than a week. we'll go there live once it begins. across new york state, from long island to buffalo, from rochester to the hudson valley, from albany to utica, creative business incentives, infrastructure investment, university partnerships, and the lowest taxes in decades are creating a stronger economy and the right environment in new york state for business to thrive. let us help grow your company's tomorrow - today at esd.ny.gov it's realizing beauty doesn't stop

who is rod rosenstein? most americans wouldn't have been able to name the deputy attorney general for a long time. why is this so important? >> yes, and forgive me, we're still in the room where the press conference about health care just took place. rod rosenstein is the attorney for the eastern district of maryland, and you're right, you would not necessarily have any idea who the deputy attorney general might be, but it's become so important because of t this investigation that's going on into russian meddling into the election and tying between the trump campaign and russians during the course of the election. and democrats have been calling for a special prosecutor to look into this. and because jeff sessions has recused himself from the process, answering that question of whether there's a special prosecutor as well as any decisions in this type of investigation will fall to the deputy attorney general. that is mr. rosenstein if in fact he is confirmed. so democrats have been pushing him on this quest

much mr.you very rosenstein. local leaders from of have commented on your good working relationship with law enforcement. we talked about that when we met. i've seen firsthand the important role of having police on the beat to keep in our community safe. i read the bill to reauthorize the cops program along with republican senator lisa murkowski of alaska. i raised the issue in mr. sessions hearing, he agreed that it is an important program. i would like to hear your views on the program and the support it provides at the state and local law enforcement and would you support this program as deputy attorney general? i would like to hear your views and you will be involved. >> i have seen in effect from the cops program. i will see that it is spent effectively, i have seen a benefit to these programs. there are budgetary issues, every decision is a trade-off in terms of where resources will go. as a general proposition, i do think that that money has in some instances been spent effectively. it helps drive reform a

. >>> a top senate confirmation hearing for rod rosenstein. he's the nominee for deputy attorney general. democrats and some republicans used the hearing to raise questions about possible trump campaign connections to russia. why attorney general jeff sessions failed to notify the judiciary committee that he'd met with russia's ambassador. democrats asked rosenstein whether he'd appoint a special prosecutor. >> when i take that oath if i become deputy attorney general i cannot take it conditioned upon having committed how i'm going to handle a particular case. >> if confirmed it will be rosenstein who guides the fbi investigation into russia. attorney general sessions has recused himself. >>> tomorrow has been declared a day without a woman. organizers are encouraging women to take an unpaid day off, among other things to highlight the value of women the workplace. there's more, wusa9's ileana diaz is live with ways women can participate. >> reporter: that's right. there are going to be two big rallies. one here outside of the white house and

rosens rosenstein is set to oversee the investigation.he did not mention two meetings with the ambassador because the question did not ask about them and he was not at the meetings as a member of the trump campaign. >>> secretary ben carson trying to clarify remarks likening slaves to immigrants who choose to come to america. dr. carson speaking to his staff at hud on monday. praising the work ethic of immigrants before comparing them to slaves who were forced to come to this country. >> that's what america is about. a land of dreams and opportunity. other immigrants who came here in bottom of slave ships who came here and worked here for less. they, too, had a dream. >> after making that remark, dr. carson had a chance to explain what he meant in a radio interview. instead double downed on the comment. >> whether you are legal or illegal. you come from the outside to inside. you're an immigrant. slaves came here as involuntary immigrants, but they still had the strength to hold on. >> backlash growing. dr. carson released this statement.

nominee for deputy attorney general rod rosenstein before the senate judiciary committee. >> we need to refrain from disparaging people unless it is necessary and justified in a case. so if we charge somebody with a crime, and it is appropriate to introduce evidence against them in court, we do it. if we don't charge them with a crime, we have a responsibility not to disparage their character. >> from the senate floor, senate minority whip dick durbin on president trump's revised travel ban. >> this new executive order includes some cosmetic changes, but the changes don't alter the fact that president trump's travel ban is still unconstitutional and still inconsistent with the values of this nation. >> house speaker paul ryan on the gop health care plan. >> so we said in 2016 to our citizens, to the american people, to our constituents, if you give us this chance, this opportunity, this is what we will do. now is our chance and our opportunity to do it.

>> reporter: deputy attorney general nominee rod rosenstein would not concede to democrats' demands to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. >> if i become deputy attorney general i cannot take it conditioned upon having committed how i'm going to handle a particular case. >> reporter: if confirmed, rosenstein will take over the fbi's investigations into russia after attorney general jeff sessions recused himself. sessions failed to disclose he had met with russia's ambassador twice in the last year, when he testified before this same committee in january. democrats say his written clarification, delivered monday, isn't good enough. >> he should come back and explain himself, 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

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 agencies when it comes to this russian interference. i'm sure he is an excellent lawyer, wouldn't enter a courtroom or stand before a judge or jury without complete preparation to the best of his ability, but yesterday time and again he told us he didn't take the time to read this report. i urge him to do so as quickly as possible, and when he reads it, he will see that our intelligence agencies are unequivocal in their statement that vladimir putin was setting out to elect donald tru

bob rosenstein is president trump's pick for deputy a.g. he is the us attorney in maryland, a republican. but maryland's democratic senators spoke stronglyn behalf at his confirmation hearing today. they also called for special counsel to oversee the russia investigation, as did democrats on the judiciary committee. >> do you support the appointment of an independent special counsel to look into these matters? >> we have an acting attorney general for this matter, dana boente was appointed u.s. attorney by president obama. if there were a need for a special counsel, he currently has full authority to appoint one. >> i intern prpret that as a no >> i'm simply not in the position to answer the question. >> rosenstein noted he has not had access to classified information on that investigation. rosenstein has been the u.s. attorney for the district of maryland since 2005. he is the state's top federal prosecutor. he secured the corruption conviction against prince george's county executive jack johnson back in rosenstein is also the nation's lo

mark preston, rod rosenstein is seen as a straight shooter. by and large, he worked for bush, worked through obama. he's seen as a straightforward guy. conventional pick. obviously, never thought he'd be in a position like this to have to deal with this kind of thing. did democrats really think they'd get him to come forward and say, yes, absolutely, i'll support a special prosecutor as i sit here before you. >> if you don't ask, you don't get the answer. >> i'm told that all the time. >> i just want a little more. just a little more. >> exactly. >> bottom line is that this is a

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

. >> reporter: all of this as rod rosenstein was grilled on capitol hill in his confirmation hearing to become session' deputy. now that session recused himself from the investigation into russia's meddling in the 2016 election, rosenstein would be the one in charge. >> i certainly did read about the tweets that were reported over the weekend, yes, sir. >> what was your reaction? >> i don't think it's appropriate to share my reaction. if the president is exercising his 1st amendment rights, that's not my issue. >> reporter: rosenstein facing relentless questioning on whether he would appoint a special prosecutor, but he danced around numerous questions on whether that special counsel is necessary. >> so i'm trying to figure out what your bottom line is. i interpret that as a no. is that fair? >> i don't know, senator, i think the answer is i'm simply not in position to answer the question because i don't know the information that they know. the folks who are in the moss to make that decision. >> reporter: republicans seeking to shut down the questions. rosenstein also confronting lin

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

the committee is also voting tomorrow whether to confirm rod rosenstein as deputy attorney general.if confirmed, rosenstein would likely oversee any investigation into alleged russian interference in the presidential election -- after attorney general jeff sessions recused himself. >>> violence broke out saturday at a pro-trump rally in huntington beach, california. counter-protesters used pepper spray on the marchers who responded with punches and kicks. two people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. four people were arrested. >>> severe storms are sweeping across the south this weekend. this is what remains of the ringgold assembly of god church in northern louisiana after it was destroyed by powerful winds. severe storm watches are in effect across several states tonight with the threat of heavy rain, damaging winds, and hail. >>> another arrest has been made in connection to last week's deadly attack in london. a 30-year-old man is in custody in birmingham, england on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. police have also revealed the attacker, 52-year-old khalid

rod rosenstein is a professional prosecutor.e confidence of all the sta stakeholders in maryland. he's been u.s. attorney for a number of years. he's a person who basically is a professional. he's a public servant. we trust his judgment. he's shown by his leadership, going after gangs, unifying us on our attack against terrorism. he's been a person who has called it the way it should be. he has not been partisan, and we believe this was a welcomed nomination by president trump. >> what do you believe should be the trigger for a special counsel? and i know you want a special commission and there's a separate debate there. but what should be the trigger for a special counsel in your opinion? >> well, there are two separate issues here as you point out. one is getting all the information about what russia was doing. the contacts made in the united states, its intent and interfering of our election, how we can protect ourselves against these attacks. in my view, that requires an independent special commission that devotes its full t

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

and that is why i asked yesterday that the nominee for deputy attorney general rod rosenstein commit to appoint a special prosecutor. now, his answer to me was that he wishes to wait until he's approved by the senate, assuming confirmation occurs, to decide whether he will appoint a special prosecutor. he claims that he needs to familiarize himself with the facts and circumstances of any ongoing investigation before he can make a decision. with all due respect, the facts he needs to know are already established. they're already a matter of public record. they're already known to the american public. there is an investigation ongoing by the f.b.i. and with good reason into russian meddling in our election, this massive campaign of misinformation and cyberattack that they purposely conducted to influence the outcome of our election. and we know that the justice department must investigate and pursue the ongoing investigation wherever the evidence leads, and part of that evidence inevitably will be meetings that were conducted by his boss, the attorney general, of the united states jeff

from the standpoint -- >> he didn't know what you were asking about. >> rosenstein facing relentless questioning on whether he would appoint a special prosecutor. now that sessions has recused himself from the investigation into russia's meddling in the 2016 election, rosenstein would be the one in charge. >> so, i'm trying to figure out what your bottom line is. i interpret that as a no. is that fair? >> well, i don't know, senator. i think the answer is i'm simply not in position to answer the question because i don't know the information that they know, the folks who are in the position to make that decision. i view this as part of -- it's a political issue and it's a completely legitimate issue for you and i respect your right to consider it. but my view is that i have a responsibility when i take that oath if i become deputy attorney general, i cannot take it conditioned upon having committed how i'm going to handle a particular case. >> reporter: republicans seeking to shut down the questioning. >> any talk of a special consul is premature at best. >> reporter: sessions today r

we have to talk about rosenstein. it may be the first time you have heard that name but it is not going to be the last. we apologize for the quality. u.s. attorney from maryland. he's been nominated to be second in command at the justice department. and his confirmation hearing is today. normally we don't care about second in command that much. but remember jeff sessions recused himself from any investigation into the russian connection, which means decisions like should we investigate, should we appoint a special prosecutor follow rosenstein, assuming he's confirmed of course. and senators will ask about the claim that obama administration has tapped his phones. he publicly denied it. the head of the fbi reportedly denied it. rosenstein will be in front of the senate at 7:00 a.m. he wants to make sure he will be there on time. >> make a good first impression. thank you very much. scott is looking at president trump's tweets, executive orders and speeches on today in the bay. he would like to hear from you. you see th

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 comes into this investigation -- you have attorney general recused hself from the investigation, you have campaign manafort stepped down because of his ties with russia. something is going on here and the american people deserves an answer. >> president trump believes, he tweeted that he was wiretapped by president obama, do duthink he was? >> i believe president obama, and i believe in the law. you have the former director of national security clapper coming forward this weekend and saysing, no that did not happen. >> he also said

so we really need a special prosecutor and i'm hoping that rosenstein will say he's going to make that happen at the committee meeting. i know our committee members will be asking him about it. >> let me ask you this. the top ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee has implied the f bhrks i has not been forthcoming. you get these briefings. is he correct? do you believe the fbi has not been forthcoming on what it's doing with the trump campaign? >> let me say this. the fbi is the premiere investigative agency here in our government. and i believe that they will do their job and get to the bottom of this without political interference. >> right. but do you believe they are withholding information from congress? >> well, there is certain kinds of information that can't be given to congress or all of congress that's classified or that can't be released. and there is a prosecutorial sort of way of doing things that you don't comment on ongoing investigations. >> so in this case, you wouldn't level the same criticize? >> i'm just saying i am -- i believe they will get to the bo

neil gorsuch for associate justice of the supreme court, rod rosenstein assigned to be deputy attorney general, rachel brand to be associate attorney general. all three of these are on the agenda for the first time. i understand the minority would like to hold them over. of course any member may hold over nominations under our rules on the agenda. the first time they are on the agenda. all three nominations will be held over for one week. as you all know, last week committee held afford a hearing to consider judge gorsuch nomination. he testified for two days and over 20 hours before the hearing started we all knew how qualified the judge is. his resume speaks for itself. last week we got to see up close how thoughtful, how articulate and how humble he is. he is clearly deeply committed to being fair and impartial judge and he isn't willing to compromise the independence to win votes in the senate. i will have a lot more to say on this issue next week when we debate his nomination in the committee. i think all of my colleagues for working with me to make last week's hearing run very sm

attorney rod rosenstein out of merrill lynch would be willing to appoint a special independent counselo look into the russian investigation. >> is there any basis on which you would not be able to handle these investigations given that the attorney general sessions has announced his intention to recuse? >> i am not aware of any requiring me to recuse at this time come of it as a lawyer, senator, i would have to know what i am recusing from aunt as a department of justice official i have to rely on the advice i get from career staff. >> if you listen to that answer carefully, what you see as rod rosenstein has left the door open to taking himself out of the russian investigation and bringing in a special counsel. democrats are pressing hard on this issue throughout the hearing and are citing the recent events with the resignation of national security advisor michael flynn over his contact with the russians as well as attorney general jeff sessions and his decision just last week to take himself out of the case. >> given all of this and a heightened level of distrust on all sides, do you

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

rosenstein would take over any investigation into the russian hacking, following attorney general jeff sessions' decision to recuse himself. that came after revelations he met with russia's ambassador to the u.s. while serving as a campaign surrogate for donald trump. minnesota senator al franken has accused sessions of committing perjury during his confirmation hearing for not revealing these meetings. on tuesday, california democratic senator dianne feinstein questioned rosenstein during his confirmation hearing about whether he would appoint spial counsesel for any investigation into russian hacking of the election. >> given allll of this in the heightened level of distrust on all sides, do you suppoport the appointment of an independent special counsel to look into these matters? >> the answer is, i'm simply not in a position to answer the question because i do not know the information that they know, the folks who are in the decision -- position to make a decision.. when i am in that position, i they are correct. i have a lot of respect for them. if i determine they are mistaken,

do you believe rob rosenstein could conduct a fair investigation? >> i do know rod.f he was a u.s. attorney, he could conduct this investigation. as a deputy attorney general, you are at the white house in meetings with the president, in meetings with the president's team. your staff is enmeshed with the attorney general's staff, who is recused from this investigation. it's impossible for the deputy attorney general, whether it's rod or anyone else, it has to be taken out of the command of the d.o.j. and given to an independent prosecutor. >> i have a question for you, matt. do you feel like in senator blumenthal in trying to hold up the a.g. nomination, are democrats overplaying their hand here given this is a guy who you say has impeccable credentials? >> i think what they want to accomplish and i think it is the right thing to accomplish is to get a pledge from rod rosenstein to appoint a special counsel. i think it's unlikely he do that. he'll say i need to get there and see what the investigation is and the underlying facts are. he could describe the situation g

the issue transcends rod ro rosenstein or any nominee. the issue is russia.t could have been santa claus being nominated for deputy attorney general, he was going to get smacked by democrats over russia. >> you look at rod, his bio, and there will be no reason for the democrats to vote against him. no substantive reason. >> you expect him to be confirmed after the battle? >> i say if the democrats are smart, they would do it. >> i think this will be one of the easier confirmations. >> we'll take a break and continue right after this. stay with us. >>> mayor bowser was back in the big apple recently. he went to new york this past week for two reasons. one to promote d.c. tourism and the other to attend the annual meeting about d.c.'s bond rating. tom, tourism season is about to kick in high gear. what came out of that tourism launch? >> checked with people, what is important is tourism is the number two industry in this city. the government, all the local governments and businesses connected to government is number one. tourism is number two. and every year di

neil gorsuch to be associate justice of the supreme court, rod rosenstein, assigned to be deputy attorney general, rachel brand to be associate attorney general. all three of these are on the agenda for the first time. i understand the minority would like to hold them over. any member may hold over a nomination under the rules on the agenda the first time they are on the agenda. all three nominations will be .eld over for one week last week, the committee held a hearing to consider judge gorsuch's nomination. starting, wearing knew how qualified the judge is. his resume speaks for itself. last week we got to see up close how thoughtful, how articulate and humble he is. he is clearly deeply committed to being fair and impartial as a judge and is willing -- is not willing to copper mice thependence to win votes in senate. i will have more to say next week when we debate his nominee -- nomination. i want to thank my colleagues for making less week's hearing run smoothly. almost everybody stayed within their time period and everyone was courteous. thank you, senator feinstein, for the hard wo

. >>> the president's nominee to be 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