Sources say Deputy AG Rosenstein is Prepared to be Fired

Rod Rosenstein, the man who took over the Russia investigation when Attorney General Sessions recused himself, has been the subject of Donald Trump’s tweeting this week and there are rumors that both Sessions and Rosenstein could be fired soon. In fact, an announcement about Deputy AG Rosenstein could come as early as today.

Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018

From the NBC report:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has struck a stoic and righteous tone in private conversations he has had this week about the fate of his job as President Donald Trump has launched public criticism against him and considered firing him, according to three sources who have spoken to Rosenstein.

In those conversations, he has repeated the phrase, “Here I stand,” a reference to Martin Luther’s famous quote, “Here I stand, I can do no other.” Coincidentally, former FBI Director James Comey, whom Rosenstein fired, repeated the same phrase to President George W. Bush in a conversation that has been widely reported and that Comey describes in his forthcoming book.

One source who spoke to Rosenstein said he seemed fully aware he may soon lose his job and was at peace with the possibility, confident he had done his job with integrity.

Rosenstein has said in recent private conversations that history will prove he did the right thing by firing Comey in May 2017, claiming that the American people do not have all the facts about what led to his decision to write the memo that led to Comey’s dismissal, the sources said.

Why it Matters:

Trump can fire Rosenstein for cause but firing Rosenstein with the end goal of replacing him with someone who will fire Mueller is potentially obstruction of justice. Rosenstein is the one with the authority to fire Robert Mueller. If he refuses to do so and is fired so Trump can replace him with someone else who will fire Mueller with the intention of halting the Russia investigation, Republican Congressmen will have to decide on their next course of action. If Trump sets in motion a Saturday Night Massacre, he will be taking the country down a very dangerous path – one that we have been down before and which ended with the resignation of Richard Nixon.

(We will update this story as new information becomes available today.)

From CNN:

CNN has now learned that Rosenstein has consulted with the ethics adviser over the course of the investigation on whether he needs to recuse himself, and he has followed that individual’s advice — a fact which has not been previously reported and offers a more fulsome explanation for how he has continued to oversee Mueller’s work. The source did not specify the number of conversations, timing, or the details of the advice.

and…

Those close to the President say leveraging the recusal as a way to undermine Rosenstein is a newfound approach for the White House team. Until recently, Trump’s allies have not wanted to draw attention to the issue and thereby risk acknowledging that the President is under investigation for obstructing justice.

But after the FBI raid on the President’s longtime attorney, Michael Cohen, the White House and Trump’s outside allies have been increasingly engaged in finding ways to undermine Rosenstein.

“I don’t think he can serve on an investigation in which he will end up being the key witness,” lawyer and Trump friend Alan Dershowitz said on Fox News Wednesday evening. “I think Rod Rosenstein is recused.”

But legal experts say the fact that Rosenstein consulted with an ethics adviser adds more legitimacy to his decision to stay on.

It “indicates that he is intent on doing things the right way,” said CNN legal analyst Carrie Cordero, who served as senior associate general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and an attorney adviser at the Justice Department.