DOJ’s Rosenstein, allies deny he considered secretly recording Trump A Justice Department official said the news would have no bearing on Rosenstein’s supervision of Mueller’s probe.
Rod Rosenstein and his allies furiously pushed back Friday against a bombshell New York Times report that the deputy attorney general considered wearing a wire to record President Donald Trump during a tumultuous period last year after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
According to the report, Rosenstein was upset when Trump used a memo he’d written to justify firing Comey, and the deputy attorney general also suggested recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment process to remove the president.
Rosenstein dismissed the report as “inaccurate and factually incorrect,” while his allies — including some who heard the comments in question — insisted they were made in jest.
“I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda,” Rosenstein said in a statement. “But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment.”
The report, however, is sure to fuel calls by Trump’s Republican allies to oust Rosenstein. They have accused him of slow-walking their investigation of FBI agents they believe are biased against Trump, although Democrats say their GOP counterparts are merely trying to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller, who reports to Rosenstein on his probe into Russian election interference and whether the Trump campaign aided the Kremlin.
A Justice Department official said Friday’s news would have no bearing on Rosenstein’s supervision of Mueller’s probe.
Rod Rosenstein and his allies furiously pushed back Friday against a bombshell New York Times report that the deputy attorney general considered wearing a wire to record President Donald Trump during a tumultuous period last year after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
According to the report, Rosenstein was upset when Trump used a memo he’d written to justify firing Comey, and the deputy attorney general also suggested recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment process to remove the president.
Rosenstein dismissed the report as “inaccurate and factually incorrect,” while his allies — including some who heard the comments in question — insisted they were made in jest.
“I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda,” Rosenstein said in a statement. “But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment.”
The report, however, is sure to fuel calls by Trump’s Republican allies to oust Rosenstein. They have accused him of slow-walking their investigation of FBI agents they believe are biased against Trump, although Democrats say their GOP counterparts are merely trying to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller, who reports to Rosenstein on his probe into Russian election interference and whether the Trump campaign aided the Kremlin.
A Justice Department official said Friday’s news would have no bearing on Rosenstein’s supervision of Mueller’s probe.
