Attorney General Jeff Sessions told lawmakers Thursday that he does not intend to appoint a second special counsel at this time. In a letter, he explained that federal prosecutors are reviewing allegations of misconduct within the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department.
“I am writing in response to recent letters requesting the appointment of a Special Counsel to review certain prosecutorial and investigative findings issued by the Department of Justice in 2016 and 2017. I take the concerns you raise seriously,” Sessions wrote in the letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy.
However, he added that the appointment of a second special prosecutor would only occur in “the most ‘extraordinary circumstances’”.
“To justify such an appointment, the Attorney General would have to conclude that ‘it would be in the public interest to relieve a significant portion of the burden of responsibility for this matter,’” Sessions added.
The attorney general has asked U.S. Attorney John Huber to investigate Republican accusations that the Justice Department and FBI abused a program to spy on a former Trump campaign aide.
“The additional issues raised in your letter dated March 6, 2018, are within the scope of his current mandate, and I am confident that Mr. Huber’s review will include a full, complete and objective assessment of these issues in a manner consistent with the law and the facts,” Sessions said.
Once Huber’s review is complete, Sessions said, recommendations will be made to determine whether a second special prosecutor is needed.
Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) were disappointed with Sessions’ decision.
Two Republican lawmakers have reviewed the Justice Department inspector general’s report on former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, which found he lied four times about leaking information to the press.
“We have to have that special counsel. I disagree with the attorney general,” Meadows told Fox News on Thursday. “For the attorney general to suggest there’s not enough there is just incredibly disappointing.”
Jordan noted that in addition to McCabe, other high-ranking FBI officials who worked on the Russia and Clinton investigations have been fired or demoted.
“If these aren’t extraordinary circumstances that warrant the appointment of a second special prosecutor, then I don’t know what the hell is wrong,” Jordan said. “I don’t know why the attorney general keeps putting this off. Everyone in the city knows we need a second special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this.”
