Deputy AG: 'Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations'

[steve2470]

Source: CNN

(CNN) Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein issued a statement Thursday night warning Americans not to "accept as true" stories based on "anonymous officials."

"Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous 'officials,' particularly when they do not identify the country -- let alone the branch or agency of government -- with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated. Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations. The Department of Justice has a long-established policy to neither confirm nor deny such allegations," Rosenstein's full statement read.

Rosenstein did not explain why he issued the statement. But it was released shortly after The Washington Post reported -- citing unnamed US officials familiar with the matter -- that the business dealings of President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are being investigated by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, who has been investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and the Trump administration's potential ties to Russia.

The interest in Kushner's activities by the special counsel's office is no more extensive than the FBI's interest in his multiple roles on both the Trump campaign and transition team, which CNN reported last month.

Read more: http://us.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/statement-rosenstein-jared-kushner/index.html

[steve2470]

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, June 15, 2017 Statement by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 15, 2017

Statement by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Anonymous Allegations

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-deputy-attorney-general-rod-rosenstein-anonymous-allegations

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein today issued the following statement:

“Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous ‘officials,’ particularly when they do not identify the country – let alone the branch or agency of government – with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated. Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations. The Department of Justice has a long-established policy to neither confirm nor deny such allegations.”

[steve2470]

4. Rod Rosenstein has some super strange thoughts on leaks

http://us.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/rod-rosenstein-leak-letter/index.html

Washington (CNN) Late Thursday night, seemingly unprompted, deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein -- he of the James Comey firing memo and the appointment of Bob Mueller as special counsel in the Russia investigation -- put out a very odd statement on just how terrible anonymously-sourced stories are.

Here it is in its entirety:

"Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous 'officials,' particularly when they do not identify the country - let alone the branch or agency of government - with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated. Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations. The Department of Justice has a long-standing policy to neither confirm or deny such allegations."

Er, what?

This statement is 62 words long but it really could have been just two: "Fake news."

[Botany]

2. Something big is coming

[jpak]

10. yup

[get the red out]

3. This is very weird!

Kind of like "Please ignore the man behind the curtain".

[CentralMass]

5. We are just plain skeptical.

[yallerdawg]

6. He must be reading Mensch tweets, too!

[FakeNoose]

7. He's carefully avoiding saying "fake news"

... but that's what he's telling us.

Fake news stories are coming out trying to spin this story every way to Sunday. Rosenstein is trying not to be over-dramatic. We should only read and believe the legitimate news websites, avoid any source that is questionable or sketchy.

Critical thinking skills, everyone!

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Meaning everyone BUT Breitbart, Faux & other RW sources, is "fake news".

I doubt Mueller is telling Rosenstein that much knowing the environment he is working in at the moment.

[Not Ruth]

8. Unless this is a leak targeted against him, why would he say this?

[bora13]

11. he could have just said

"what polls?" "we have trick up our sleeve this time too"

[bucolic_frolic]

12. You mean like 'Crooked Hillary'? That type of thing?

Hillary is really the same as Don. My emails told me so all last summer.

[defacto7]

13. My experience has taught me,

to exercise caution before accepting as true statements by 'known' officials, particularly when they 'do' indentify with the US -- as Republican, or the Adminitrative branch or appointees of the administrative branch.

[Hortensis]

14. Politico seems to suspect this may be related to Kushner,

publishing this link with its piece on Rosenstein's obscure statement:

Link to tweet

[The_jackalope]

15. Speculation that this was a shot at Pence, who probably leaked the Kushner story.

Either that, or somebody in FVEY is getting ready to release a tape.

[Hortensis]

18. Both very interesting. Pence as an anti-Kuchner agent,

though? Isn't he supposed to be walking that disciplined tightrope: Humbly loyal and dedicated assistant to Rump AND alpha dog leader of the Koch revolution?

I've read speculation that Rump is angry at Pence for lawyering up, seeing that as disloyal.

[More_Cowbell]

16. Since WaPo edited "officials" to "US officials...."

I tend to agree with the twitter speculation that it's a dig at Pence. I always assumed he was the one who leaked the "Flynn lied to Pence" story that got Flynn fired. And now he's lawyered up.

[Javaman]

17. tRump and his room full of dopes are trying the old "these aren't the droids you are looking for"

Jedi trick.

LOL

We've seen Star Wars and tRump ain't the rebels. LOL

As I have called him from time to time, the orange menace, it's seems appropriate now...

Washington Wars: Episode 1: The Orange Menace.