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Citing unnamed people familiar with the investigation, the
Journal said the interview occurred in June or July. Mueller is
looking into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016
elections, possible collusion between the Trump campaign and
Russia, and whether Trump may have obstructed justice by firing
Comey in May.
Mueller, himself a former FBI director, ultimately reports to
Rosenstein because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused
himself from the probe.
The Journal said the handling of the interview "could be a sign
that Mr. Mueller’s team doesn’t view Mr. Rosenstein as a central
witness in its probe, as the deputy attorney general hasn’t
withdrawn himself from overseeing it since that interview."
The paper quoted Ian Prior, a Justice Department spokesman, as
saying: "As the deputy attorney general has said numerous times,
if there comes a time when he needs to recuse, he will. However,
nothing has changed."
A Justice Department spokeswoman and a representative for the
special counsel both declined to comment to Reuters.
The Russian government denies any attempt to influence the
election, and the Republican president has repeatedly denied any
collusion, calling the investigations a "witch hunt."
(Reporting by Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech; Editing by James
Dalgleish)
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