Comey's Firing Prompts Questions About Independent Investigation

The very man who wrote the rationale for James Comey's dismissal is the one who will decide whether or not the investigation into Russia's meddling with the 2016 presidential election will be handed over to a special counsel.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote the memorandum that President Trump relied upon to justify firing Comey. As the highest-ranking Justice Department official with authority over the Russia probe (his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has recused himself), Rosenstein has the power to appoint an outside investigator to take over the matter.

Former U.S. Attorney General Paul Fishman, who also led the federal investigation into the New Jersey Bridgegate scandal, said today in an interview with WNYC's Jami Floyd that Rosenstein has a "very good reputation as a call-it-as-he-sees-it prosecutor." (The two worked as U.S. attorneys at the same time: Fishman in New Jersey, Rosenstein in Maryland.)

"But that's not really the entire question here," Fishman continued.  "What really maters for the public in matters like this is whether the public will have confidence in the conclusion that's  reached by whoever is in charge of this investigation."