Chuck Grassley signaled no preference for whether that briefing should be public or private, just “whatever the law allows.” | AP Photo Grassley: No confirmation vote for DOJ’s No. 2 until Comey briefs Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee is still waiting for answers from the Justice Department and the FBI for its request to be briefed on Russia-related probes. So now, Chuck Grassley is playing hardball.

The committee’s chairman said Tuesday that he won’t allow the nomination of Rod Rosenstein to be deputy attorney general to advance until Judiciary members get a briefing from FBI director James Comey on the agency’s ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.


Last month, Grassley and the committee’s top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein of California, wrote to both DOJ and the FBI asking for a Russia-related briefing, particularly about the circumstances that prompted the abrupt resignation of Michael Flynn as White House national security adviser.

And a separate request from other Judiciary Committee members, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), asking for any information that may confirm President Donald Trump’s accusation that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower has also gone unheeded.

That means Rosenstein is now getting caught in the crossfire between the Hill and the administration.

“Here’s what I’ve done: the Justice Department would like to get their deputy out of committee just as soon as they can,” Grassley told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday evening. “I’m not going to schedule a hearing on the deputy attorney general until we get a briefing from Comey.”

Grassley signaled no preference for whether that briefing should be public or private, just “whatever the law allows.” The Iowa Republican said he informed DOJ’s legislative affairs office of his plan last Thursday.

The move from Grassley is a significant one, considering the critical role that the deputy attorney general plays as the second-ranking official at the Justice Department. If confirmed, Rosenstein, who had his hearing last Tuesday, will head to DOJ under an even greater microscope, since he will take over all Russia-related probes with Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal from such investigations earlier this month.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.