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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Monday said he is not concerned about his reputation but is instead focused on defending the Constitution.
"Many people have offered me unsolicited advice over the past few days about what I should do to promote my personal reputation," Rosenstein told about 1,000 people at the Greater Baltimore Committee's annual dinner meeting Monday night, The Baltimore Sun reported.
"I took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. There is nothing in that oath about my reputation.
"If you ask me, one of the main problems in Washington, D.C., is everybody is so busy running around trying to protect their reputation instead of protecting the republic, which is what they're supposed to be doing," he added.
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The White House initially hung its decision on a memo Rosenstein wrote criticizing Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton
Hillary Rodham ClintonDem rips Trump's claim of historically unfair treatment The Memo: Trump base shows signs of cracking Melania and Ivanka Trump choose not to wear headscarves on Saudi trip MORE's use of a private email server while secretary of State.
Hillary Rodham ClintonDem rips Trump's claim of historically unfair treatment The Memo: Trump base shows signs of cracking Melania and Ivanka Trump choose not to wear headscarves on Saudi trip MORE's use of a private email server while secretary of State.But the White House's changing story on the role Rosenstein's memo played in Comey's firing has become central to the controversy.
Rosenstein is scheduled to brief the Senate later this week on Trump's decision to fire Comey.
Rosenstein said a friend sent him a text message after the release of his memo on Comey and told him to "get out of there."
"I responded to my friend and I said, 'There is no place I would rather be,' " he told the crowd in Baltimore.
"What is courage in government? It certainly includes standing on principle, ignoring the tyranny of the news cycle, resisting the urge to spin, remaining focused on the things that matter. The daily newspapers and endless talk shows are not the verdict of history."
Rosenstein said he had no comment about reports — which broke shortly before he spoke — that Trump had revealed highly classified intelligence to Russian officials during a meeting last week.
