President pushes pause on deciding Rosenstein’s fate
BRIDGEWATER, N.J.» AsAir Force One streaked across the desert sky and Las Vegas faded in the distance, President Donald Trump began seeking opinions.
The TVs on the plane, tuned as always to Fox News, carried headlines about an explosive new story: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had suggested wearing a wire to secretly record Trump, and raised the idea of using the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.
On the flights both to and from a Missouri rally, Trump polled staff on the plane, called his outside network of advisers and kept a careful eye on what his favorite hosts on his favorite network were recommending.
The messages were mixed, but more were in favor of containing the urge to fire Rosenstein, a move that would declare open warfare with the Justice Department and cast doubt on the future of the special counsel’s Russia probe, according to two people familiar with the exchanges but not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations.
Trump, though telling confidants that he felt the moment was another example of the “Deep State” and media conspiring to undermine him, held off dismiss ing Rosenstein. For now.
But the aftershocks of the story are rattling Washington still.
“He shouldn’t fire Rosenstein unless you believe Rosenstein’s lying. He says he did not do the things alleged,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., on “Fox News Sunday.”
“But there’s a bureaucratic coup against President Trump being discovered here. Before the election, the people in question tried to taint the election, tip it to (Hillary) Clinton’s favor. After the election they’re trying to undermine the president.”
The details of the memos written by a former deputy FBI director, Andrew McCabe, triggered immediate speculation that the information would give Trump the justification to do what he has long desired: dismiss Rosenstein, the Justice Department official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump also received conflicting advice from his other team of counselors: the hosts at Fox News. While Laura Ingraham initially urged Trump to fire Rosenstein, Sean Hannity pleaded with the president not to act.
“It is all a setup,” said Hannity, seeming to directly address Trump. “Under zero circumstances should the president fire anybody.”
And on Saturday, another Trump cable favorite, Jeanine Pirro, took to Twitter to wonder if Rosenstein himself leaked the story “to force” Trump to fire him.
Spending the weekend at his New Jersey golf course, Trump continued to ask allies about the reports and fumed about the involvementofMcCabe,whomthe president has long believed conspired against him. McCabe was fired this spring for not being fully truthful under oath.
But the president’s attention was also divided while at Bedminster, as he was focused on developments in Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings while also being urged by aides to prepare for the upcoming U.N. General Assembly.
Trump has not tweeted about the matter. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
“Rod deserves the right to be heard,” said Rep. Trey Gowdy, RS.C., on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”