Panel to investigate Rosenstein claim
Sen. Graham calls plan to oust Trump ‘stunning’
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that his panel will investigate former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe’s assertion that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein raised the possibility of ousting President Donald Trump through the 25th Amendment, calling the statement “beyond stunning.”
Graham was responding to comments made by McCabe in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” which aired Sunday night.
“There’s an allegation by the acting FBI director at the time that the deputy attorney general was basically trying to do an administrative coup, take the president down (through) the 25th Amendment process,” Graham said in an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “The deputy attorney general denies it. I promise your viewers the following: that we will have a hearing about who’s telling the truth, what actually happened.”
He added that he will subpoena McCabe and Rosenstein if necessary.
Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop said no further details were available on the timing of the hearing.
In the “60 Minutes” interview, McCabe said Rosenstein raised the idea of using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump out of concern about the president’s “capacity and about his intent at that point in time.”
The conversation, he said, occurred in the hectic days after Trump fired James Comey as FBI director.
Rosenstein was “counting votes or possible votes” among Cabinet members on whether to oust Trump, McCabe told CBS’ Scott Pelley.
The 25th Amendment establishes a process for the Cabinet to force the president’s removal if he is unable to perform his duties.
McCabe’s spokeswoman said in a statement Friday that he did not participate in any “extended discussions” about using the 25th Amendment, nor was he aware of any.
McCabe said Rosenstein also “offered to wear a wire into the White House,” in the context of a discussion about why Trump fired Comey and his fixation on Russia.
Rosenstein has disputed previous reports describing allegations by McCabe that he had discussed the topic. The Justice Department again pushed back in a statement late last week.
Graham described the issue as one of national concern Sunday.
McCabe “went on national television and he made an accusation that floors me . ... We’re going to find out what happened here, and the only way I know to find out is to call the people in under oath and find out, through questioning, who’s telling the truth, because the underlying accusation is beyond stunning,” the senator said.