A May 9, 2017 memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein titled "RESTORING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE FBI" recommended the removal of FBI director James Comey, noting that he could not defend Comey for "usurp[ing] the Attorney General's authority on July 5, 2016 and announc[ing] his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution."  Rosenstein went on to point out that "the FBI director is never empowered to supplant federal prosecutors and assume command of the Justice Department." 

Yet Mr. Rosenstein, in December 14 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, avoided answering substantive questions as to whether the FBI was put to partisan use during the 2016 election campaign.

Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, on December 6 sent a letter to Mr. Rosenstein, asking when he had become aware of politically partisan Strzok-Page texting.  The reply, from Michael E. Horowitz, Justice Department inspector general, answered that "[t]he FBI produced these text messages on July 20, 2017."  The reply noted that the Page-Strzok "politically-oriented text messages" were "from their FBI-issued phones through November 20, 2016, which covered the entire period of the Clinton email server investigation." 

Rosenstein and Special Counsel Mueller were informed of the texts on July 27, 2017.  Yet throughout the summer, and until now, the FBI, has refused to respond to congressional subpoenas concerning the matter.

None of this will help restore confidence in the FBI.  No one other than media editorial writers and columnists presently have any such confidence.  Only media outlets afflicted by Trump Derangement Syndrome, like the New York Times, could accuse critics of Special Counsel Mueller of lacking "good faith."  In its December 13 lead editorial, "Fox News v. Robert Mueller," the Times proclaimed: "The anti-Mueller brigade cares not a whit about possible bias in the Justice Department or the F.B.I."  For Trump-haters, texts viciously and crudely attacking the president are the hallmarks, apparently, of good government.