Nov. 14 (UPI) — U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed senior federal prosecutors to evaluate whether a special counsel should be appointed to investigate Republican concerns including alleged unlawful dealings by the Clinton Foundation and the sale of a uranium company, according to a Justice Department letter.
Justice Department lawyers were directed to make recommendations to Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about whether an investigation into a list of Republican concerns should be opened, expanded or whether a special counsel should be appointed, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., in a letter obtained by NBC News.
“While this policy can be frustrating, especially on matters of great public concern, it is necessary to ensure that the Department acts with fairness and thoughtfulness, and always in a manner consistent with the law and rules of the Department,” Boyd wrote.
The letter specifically referenced claims of “unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation” and the sale of the mining firm, Uranium One, in 2013, according to Politico.
It was sent in response to Goodlatte’s two previous requests calling for Sessions to appoint a second special counsel to independently investigate the concerns.
Goodlatte also had interest in issues such as FBI Director James Comey‘s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, which Boyd noted was already being investigated by the Justice Department’s inspector general.
In the letter Boyd added that any probes opened would be for “non-political” reasons and that his response “should not be construed” as confirmation or denial of any such investigations, according to The Hill.
“As noted during our prior meeting in response to your letters, the Department of Justice takes seriously its responsibility to provide timely and accurate information to Congress on issues of public interest and seeks to do so in a non-political manner that is consistent with the Department’s litigation, law enforcement, and national security responsibilities,” he wrote.
Boyd’s letter was sent a day before Sessions is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee as part of its ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election on Tuesday.
