Tag: Rod Rosenstein

Posted on

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Might Have Just Resigned

Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein

There are mixed signals coming out of Washington this morning as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has reportedly offered to resign in the wake of a New York Times story last week that alleged he offered to ‘secretly record’ Donald Trump in the White House in an effort to reveal the chaotic nature of the Trump administration.

Axios’ Jonathan Swan tweets that Rosenstein has already ‘verbally’ resigned.

But The New York Times isn’t so sure what the current status is:

It was not immediately clear whether he expected to be fired by Mr. Trump or whether he planned to resign.

Justice Department officials said on Monday morning that he was on his way to the White House expecting to be fired.

But over the weekend, Mr. Rosenstein called a White House official and said he was considering quitting, and a person close to the White House said he was resigning.

It was also unclear whether Mr. Trump would accept a resignation that would likely thrust the administration into further turmoil just weeks before November’s midterm elections.

NBC’s Pete Williams says Rosenstein WON’T resign but will force Trump to fire him to get rid of him.

Apparently, it makes a big difference in how the position would be filled depending on if Rosenstein is fired or quits.

If a resignation occurs, Trump can choose whoever he likes to fill Rosenstein’s job.

But if he is fired, Trump will need to appoint an already-Senate-approved candidate.

The big question many are asking is who would oversee the current investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller with Rosenstein gone. The answer seems to be solicitor general, Noel Francisco.

This is all, clearly, a developing story.

Posted on

NY Times: Rosenstein Suggested Recording Trump To Prove White House Chaos

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the Dept. of Justice

The New York Times is reporting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested secretly recording Donald Trump in the White House in the chaotic days following Trump’s firing of former FBI director, James Comey.

The report goes on to say Rosenstein spoke to cabinet members about invoking the 25th Amendment to consider removing Trump from office.

Mr. Rosenstein made these suggestions in the spring of 2017 when Mr. Trump’s firing of James B. Comey as F.B.I. director plunged the White House into turmoil. Over the ensuing days, the president divulged classified intelligence to Russians in the Oval Office, and revelations emerged that Mr. Trump had asked Mr. Comey to pledge loyalty and end an investigation into a senior aide.

Mr. Rosenstein was just two weeks into his job. He had begun overseeing the Russia investigation and played a key role in the president’s dismissal of Mr. Comey by writing a memo critical of his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. But Mr. Rosenstein was caught off guard when Mr. Trump cited the memo in the firing, and he began telling people that he feared he had been used.

Mr. Rosenstein made the remarks about secretly recording Mr. Trump and about the 25th Amendment in meetings and conversations with other Justice Department and F.B.I. officials. Several people described the episodes in interviews over the past several months, insisting on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The people were briefed either on the events themselves or on memos written by F.B.I. officials, including Andrew G. McCabe, then the acting bureau director, that documented Mr. Rosenstein’s actions and comments.

As Republicans called for Rosenstein’s firing,  Fox News host Sean Hannity warned the story could be a ‘set-up.’

Rosenstein denies he ever considered “wearing a wire” to oust the Trumpster.

Posted on

Trump’s Deputy Attorney General (And Republican) Rod Rosenstein Signed Off On Michael Cohen Raid

Donald Trump

The New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump’s Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein personally signed off on yesterday’s raid on the office of Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal attorney.

According to sources, the FBI agents were looking for documents and/or records related to payments to women who have alleged having affairs with Trump, plus any connections to the publisher of The National Enquirer in silencing one of the women.

The search warrant carried out by the public corruption unit of the Manhattan federal attorney’s office seeks information about Karen McDougal, an ex-Playboy model who claims she carried on a nearly yearlong affair with Mr. Trump shortly after the birth of his son in 2006. Ms. McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., the Enquirer’s parent company, whose chief executive is a friend of Mr. Trump’s.

Agents were also searching Michael D. Cohen’s office for information related to Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, who says she also had sex with Mr. Trump while he was married. Mr. Cohen has acknowledged that he paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement to secure her silence just days before the 2016 presidential election.

Rod J. Rosenstein, the veteran Republican prosecutor handpicked by Mr. Trump to serve as deputy attorney general, personally signed off on Monday’s F.B.I. decision to raid the office of Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s personal attorney and longtime confidant, several government officials said.

Trump has publicly groused that the ongoing investigations by the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller are a “witch hunt” in what appears to be an attempt to make this all a partisan endeavor.

But, in truth, all of those making the big decisions into these issues have been Republicans.

From former FBI Director James Comey to current FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

All Republicans.