Posted on 09/24/2018 5:54:10 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein faces a high-stakes meeting on Thursday with President Trump that may determine his future as the Department of Justice official charged with overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
The White House punctuated hours of speculation about Rosenstein’s future by revealing that Trump and the No. 2 Justice Department official on Monday had an “extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories” and would meet in person on Thursday.
The day began with reports that Rosenstein was headed to the White House with the expectation that he would be fired days after Friday’s bombshell New York Times report that he had discussed wearing a wire to record Trump as part of an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and expel the president from office.
Rosenstein had denied that story, calling it false and issuing two statements that sought to dispel it.
Conflicting reports at midday on Monday had Rosenstein either resigning or expecting to be fired as he met at the White House with chief of staff John Kelly. Cable news showed Rosenstein getting into an SUV for the ride, while social media watched with breathless anticipation.
The visit ended anticlimactically, with Rosenstein attending another White House meeting that had previously been scheduled — and with the mystery of his fate punted to Thursday, when Trump will be back in Washington after his trip to New York for annual meetings at the United Nations (U.N.).
“We’ll be determining what’s going on,” Trump told reporters Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. “We want to have transparency, we want to have openness, and I look forward to meeting with Rod at that time.”
Trump’s decision to meet Rosenstein on Thursday sets up a spectacular day.
At one end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump will meet with the official who appointed Mueller, instigating a process that has been an irritant for the president for more than a year. At the other end of the street, lawmakers will hear testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Rosenstein’s ouster would put a new official in charge of the Russia investigation at a pivotal moment, opening Trump up to charges that he is seeking to quash the probe. Democrats on Monday were already comparing events to “The Saturday Night Massacre,” when several Justice officials resigned after then-President Nixon ordered the firing of a special prosecutor.
“This is the next step in a slowly evolving, slow-motion ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ in which the president is getting rid of all the people who were involved in initiating or carrying out the investigation of obstruction of justice by him,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said on CNN.
Some Republicans have also expressed worries. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) tweeted that she is “very concerned” over the prospect of Rosenstein being fired or forced to resign.
Others questioned whether the episode was a smokescreen intended to draw attention away from the Kavanaugh drama, the other story dominating Washington.
Rosenstein has been a frequent target of the right, and allies of the president say he should be fired if he really wanted to wear a wire to gather information on Trump.
“People have been fired for much less,” said former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg, who echoed Republican allegations that the Justice Department has slow-walked document requests from Congress. “You should at some point face consequences for your actions and this is simply the last straw.”
Separately, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who has been critical of Rosenstein, is calling on him to testify before Congress about the allegations in the Times report.
Rosenstein has presided over Mueller’s investigation as it has pressed forward for 16 months, serving as acting attorney general with respect to the probe as a result of Jeff Sessions’s recusal.
Should he resign or be fired, Solicitor General Noel Francisco would be next in line to oversee the investigation.
On Monday, Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s personal lawyers, suggested there should be a “timeout” in the Mueller investigation should Rosenstein be removed.
“I think it’s really important that there be a step back taken here, and a review, and I think it’s a review that has to be thorough and complete, and a review that has to include an investigation of what has transpired,” Sekulow said.
With respect to Rosenstein’s role as deputy attorney general, his resignation would allow Trump to install an acting replacement who is not subject to Senate confirmation as a result of the Vacancies Act, though that official would not be able to also act as acting attorney general overseeing the Russia investigation.
“I think the implications are far greater for Rosenstein’s other functions where the president could pick someone who might not necessarily be Senate-confirmed,” said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas.
It becomes murkier if Trump decides to fire Rosenstein, because the law does not say Trump can appoint an acting replacement for an official who is fired.
Firing Rosenstein could also have the adverse effect of opening up Trump to charges of obstruction, which Mueller is currently investigating as part of his sprawling probe.
“Folks will argue that,” said Vladeck, though he added, “I think the president would have a nonfrivolous argument that Rosenstein was fired for cause.”
Monday’s developments are the latest chapter in a months-long feud between the president and his top law enforcement officials over an investigation that he views as a politically driven “witch hunt” against him.
Trump has lashed out at Rosenstein and, more frequently, Sessions for their roles in the Russia probe, and some have suggested the president could fire Sessions after the midterm elections.
“We’ll see how it goes with Jeff,” Trump told Hill.TV in an exclusive interview last week. “I’m very disappointed in Jeff. Very disappointed.”
I agree. Trump should not even talk to him.
Being the low level member of the administration he is (not cabinet level) it should be handled by Kerry the chief of staff
I agree. Trump should not even talk to him.
Being the low level member of the administration he is (not cabinet level) it should be handled by Kerry the chief of staff
Trump is the executive branch.
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Two agencies in the executive branch went rogue. They are currently in chaos. This is Trump’s branch. He needs to force the immediate release of all documents, notes, memos and email related to the coup and then quickly start the process of cleaning house, reorganizing these agencies, and restore integrity.
We can never allow this to happen again. We might not be so lucky next time. The coupe could succeed.
“He needs to force the immediate release of all documents, notes, memos and email related to the coup and then quickly start the process of cleaning house, reorganizing these agencies, and restore integrity.”
His backtracking on the release of all those documents has me worried. I don’t like what I’m seeing at all.
They’ve made their intentions pretty clear already. If they EVER regain power, they mean to incarcerate or extinguish us all.
We really are at the turning point in America.
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They will not be conciliatory or kind. They want revenge.
Yes, we’re at a turning point. A defining moment in our history. Trump needs to assert his authority and use the full powers of his office to regain control over the FBI/DOJ. If he doesn’t subversive elements will continue undermining him and laying the ground work for the resurgence of Democrats. And we know well what they will do when they get back into power.
His backtracking on the release of all those documents has me worried.
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Myself as well. He allowed the DOJ and our “allies” to persuade him to step back on this. Whatever happened to his “America First” pledge? He needs to side with us, not them.
“We really are at the turning point in America.”
It’s bad enough with the number of brainwashed drones out there but compound that with technology(flash mobs, etc) and it’s a scary scenario. Mao’s red guard show trials kind of scary scenarios.
My concern is that he was given an offer he couldn’t refuse. A threat. A family threat. Our corrupt stasi state is completely unmoored from the rule of law so I wouldn’t put anything past them
I think you have mailed it. This is the program that the cabal and the Mockingbird media think that they are running, but POTUS is unlikely to play his scripted role. He doesn't need to. The unredacted docs will do the job for him.
The Mockingbird media is 100% about Kavanaugh BECAUSE they don't want anyone to pay attention to the unredacted documents. SKY FALL!
Let’s review
1. One for tax evasion and foreign agent violations while working for the Podestas.
2. Another who received a whopping 14 days and $9500 fine.
3. Another whose sentencing hearing has been delayed 3 times & will probably have his plea deal rescinded and go free.
4. An “informant” who was left high and dry by Muller and got outed. Smeared and defamed as a Russian spy, he now stands to profit in a multitude of defamation suits.
5. Numerous DOJ and FBI officials who have been fired, allowed to resign, demoted, flipped or face a grand jury.
All and all, pretty much a “dog’s breakfast” for Mueller. If I didn’t know any better, this investigation is NOT about Trump but about exposing the deep state and picking off some bad actors who tried a soft coup attempt.
Good points. What a frustrating, maddening mess.
Lol. I like that.
They’ve made their intentions pretty clear already. If they EVER regain power, they mean to incarcerate or extinguish us all.
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They will. And they’ll go after conservatives through places such as military pensions and Social Security and the IRS. There would be no recourse, either. They are pure evil.
Sorry, calling for families to be shot is wrong and that’s what the other side thinks.
>>they’ll go after conservatives through places such as military pensions and Social Security and the IRS. There would be no recourse, either. They are pure evil.
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Recently, the French government ordered Marine LePen to undergo psychiatric “evaluation”? For what? She posted on Twitter images of the Islamic State does to non-muslims. Just like in the old Soviet Union, they label dissenters crazy and send them to mental prisons.
The U.K. has already shown us what they did to Tommy Robinson and now he faces them sending him right back to prison. A firefighter of 22 years was fired for voicing support of Tommy Robinson and standing up to protect their young girls against muzzie gang rape mobs.
We’re about one step behind them. We see how the IRS targeted conservatives, shut down the Tea Party movement, what they did to Cohen, and what they continue to do to Manafort.
Yes, military pensions, Soc Security, IRS...and internment camps to re-educate or extinguish. Pure evil, absolutely.
Social media???
The entire Swamp media was wetting their pants in anticipation.
Great song. Much better with full orchestra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNGe7iK1O-4
God help us.
I beg to differ. Those on the 'Rat side that I oppose so much have already done this to Republicans. The SWAT raids to Manafort and to a Minnesota, Walker, contributor have already been done. The IRS attacks on conservative groups. The Republicans did not start the ANTIFA attacks or the attacks on conservatives in restaurants. Conservatives did not shoot democRATs practicing for a conressional baseball game. The left in ths Soviet Union, Germany, China, Viet Nam, Cuba and many more have killed about 150 Million of their own citizens, most because they were successful and not dependent on government. For the USA leftists that are trying to recreate the same takeover of power, and who have already used the power of government to terrorize their responsible opponents, why is turnabout not fair play? It is about 150 million to 0 in their favor in the last 100 years. Why would we want to be "nice" and let them win?
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