or wikileaks collaboration or any proof or evidence that i knew in advance the source or the content of allegedly stolen or allegedly hacked e-mails published by wikileaks. i never discussed john podesta s e-mails in my tweets. the allegation that i somehow knew in advance about the theft of his e-mails is patently untrue. mueller s team is also continuing to get information from former trump deputy campaign manager rick gates. in court today prosecutors said they were not ready to sentence gates because he is continuing to cooperate with ongoing investigations. and the man mueller is now reporting to, acting attorney general matt whitaker, today received a ruling from the justice department s own in-house office of legal counsel saying it looks good to them, his appointment is lawful and valid. a good many others disagree. they feel whitaker has prejudged the russia investigation and
it s a question that s easy to ask, but hard to answer. but we do know who would likely replace rosenstein. the man mueller would report to is solicitor general, noel francis francisco. tom foreman is outfront. if my first year on the job has taught me anything, it s to expect the unexpected. reporter: noel francisco is an experienced lawyer, a staunch conservative, and may be the answer to president trump s endless frustration with the russia probe. i would call it the rigged witch hunt. phony witch hunt. it s a which hunt hoax. reporter: some legal watchers firmly believe if francisco is given oversight of special counsel robert mueller, he could severely tighten the reins. he s wary of the power of an independent prosecutor like that, and believes in a strong executive with a capability to fire any executive employee of which mueller is certainly one of them. the department of justice s goal is not just to win, but to ensure that justice is served.