Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein defended special counsel Robert S. Mueller III in the face of critical questioning Wednesday from the House Judiciary Committee about whether bias might have infected Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Rosenstein said that he had not seen good cause to fire Mueller, and that although some members of the special counsel team had political views, that did not necessarily taint their work. He disputed that the probe is a “witch hunt,” as President Trump has alleged.

“We recognize we have employees with political opinions. It’s our responsibility to make sure those opinions do not influence their actions,’’ Rosenstein said. “I believe that Director Mueller understands that and he is running his office appropriately.’’