The meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (pictured) came amid a simmering conflict between the Senate Judiciary Committee, headed by Sen. Chuck Grassley, and the FBI. | Brynn Anderson/AP Photo Grassley, Rosenstein huddle amid Russia probe questions

Sen. Chuck Grassley met for nearly an hour Thursday with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein amid a simmering conflict between the FBI and the Grassley-led Senate Judiciary Committee over access to witnesses and documents related to the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

Rosenstein and Grassley both declined to discuss the substance of their meeting, which was held in Grassley’s Senate office. Grassley described it as “just our oversight communications and getting updates and stuff like that.”


As he left his meeting with Grassley, Rosenstein twice declined to say whether they discussed Grassley's efforts with Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to obtain testimony from two FBI officials who may have knowledge of the circumstances surrounding President Donald Trump's firing of Comey in May. The Department of Justice declined the Judiciary Committee’s request to hear from the officials earlier this month.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any role in Congress’ probe of Comey’s firing, which is part of a broader investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Investigators in the House and Senate and special counsel Robert Mueller are eyeing whether Trump’s decision to fire Comey was an effort to obstruct the FBI’s wide-ranging Russia probe.

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Earlier this week, Grassley pummeled the FBI in a statement accusing the bureau of withholding information from Congress related to the Comey firing. Grassley, in particular, expressed frustration that the FBI shared details from the two people his committee has sought to interview with a separate federal agency investigating Comey’s conduct. According to Grassley, the FBI required this other agency, the Office of Special Counsel, to sign nondisclosure agreements that prohibited it from sharing sensitive details with Congress.

“These agreements are an inappropriate attempt to withhold information from an independent government watchdog agency in exchange for a promise to limit government transparency and hamstring Congressional oversight,” Grassley said Monday in the statement.

Last week, Grassley also asked the FBI to reveal whether it issued warnings to the Trump campaign about potential Russian interference in the election.