Rod Rosenstein Image by Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman February 20, 2018

Apart for obligatory congressional hearings, deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible since taking office. Perhaps for good reason. After all, he already serves as the Trump administration’s lightening rod and frequently tops the list of officials said to be about to be booted by the president. Extra attention could only hurt.

But on Friday Rosenstein stood in front of the cameras to announce a bombshell indictment of 13 Russian nationals accused of meddling in the 2016 elections. Rosenstein presented details describing how the Russians posed as U.S. citizens in their attempts to sway the election outcome and assist rivals of Hillary Clinton.

While the indictment clearly disproves Trump’s repeated claim that there was no Russian meddling in the elections, Rosenstein may stand to win grace with the president, since he seemed to downplay any American political players from cooperating in this specific Russian interference attempt.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“There’s no allegation in this indictment that any American had any knowledge, and the nature of the scheme,” Rosenstein said.

This was enough for Trump, who tweeted shortly after Rosenstein’s press conference: “Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President.” And the president’s conclusion: “The Trump campaign did nothing wrong – no collusion!”

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount