New York Times: Rosenstein Offered to Tape Trump, Discuss Invoking 25th Amendment With Cabinet Members
Bait to get Trump to fire Rosenstein?
President Donald Trump will go on a Twitter tirade in 3…2…1…
The New York Times reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensetin, the man who hired Special Counsel Robert Mueller, offered to wear a wire to tape Trump and rally “cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office for being unfit.”
He suggested that he could bring Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then-DHS Secretary John Kelly to his side. Kelly now serves as Trump’s chief of staff.
James Comey’s Firing
When did all of this supposedly begin? May 2016. Rosenstein and Sessions joined Trump in the Oval Office and the president suggested firing Comey. Everyone in the room tried to talk Trump out of it…except Rosenstein. He offered “to write the memo about the Clinton email inquiry” and gave it to Trump “shortly after.”
The day after that, Trump fired Trump and his aides released the memo and described it as “the basis for Mr. Comey’s dismissal.”
That led to intense criticism from Democrats and others, which angered Rosenstein:
The president’s reliance on his memo caught Mr. Rosenstein by surprise, and he became angry at Mr. Trump, according to people who spoke to Mr. Rosenstein at the time. He grew concerned that his reputation had suffered harm and wondered whether Mr. Trump had motives beyond Mr. Comey’s treatment of Mrs. Clinton for ousting him, the people said.
A determined Mr. Rosenstein began telling associates that he would ultimately be “vindicated” for his role in the matter. One week after the firing, Mr. Rosenstein met with Mr. McCabe and at least four other senior Justice Department officials, in part to explain his role in the situation.
During their discussion, Mr. Rosenstein expressed frustration at how Mr. Trump had conducted the search for a new F.B.I. director, saying the president was failing to take the candidate interviews seriously. A handful of politicians and law enforcement officials, including Mr. McCabe, were under consideration.
To Mr. Rosenstein, the hiring process was emblematic of broader dysfunction stemming from the White House. He said both the process and the administration itself were in disarray, according to two people familiar with the discussion.
That’s when Rosenstein brought up the idea of wearing a wire. A person in the meeting asked him if he was serious “and he replied animatedly that he was.” Plus, he said that if he didn’t do it, he suggested McCabe or other FBI officials wear the wire. He also said that no one checked his phone during meetings with Trump, “implying it would be easy to secretly record” the president.
None of this happened, but officials told The New York Times that these comments are “an example of how erratically he was behaving while he was taking part in the interviews for a replacement F.B.I. director, considering the appointment of a special counsel and otherwise running the day-to-day operations of the more than 100,000 people at the Justice Department.”
McCabe’s lawyer responded:
Andy McCabe’s lawyer on Rosenstein report: pic.twitter.com/ME872e6p1u
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) September 21, 2018
The New York Times wrote that the memos suggested that Mr. Rosenstein had regrets about the firing of Mr. Comey. McCabe wrote in one that the deputy “was upset and emotional” and “said that he wished Mr. Comey were still at the F.B.I. so he could bounce ideas off him.”
Denials and Maybe Bait to Fire Rosenstein?
Rosenstein has denied the accounts given to The New York Times:
“The New York Times’s story is inaccurate and factually incorrect,” he said in a statement. “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. But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment.”
A Justice Department spokeswoman also provided a statement from a person who was present when Mr. Rosenstein proposed wearing a wire. The person, who would not be named, acknowledged the remark but said Mr. Rosenstein made it sarcastically.
So will Trump use this as an excuse to fire Rosenstein? Probably, even though The New York Times used anonymous sources. We all know he cannot stand the way the DOJ has handled the Russia probe, often venting frustrations publicly about Sessions and Rosenstein.
Still, it doesn’t seem to add up and I’m not the only who thinks this is bait to get Trump to fire Rosenstein.
.@jasoninthehouse on Rod Rosenstein report: “It seems outrageous. I can’t imagine any plausible scenario in which that would even have a chance to be true.” #DailyBriefing pic.twitter.com/nn5lTuqaXH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 21, 2018
someone wants Trump to fire Rosenstein https://t.co/BtnPQrV0hO
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) September 21, 2018
It’s transparently obvious Rod Rosenstein was joking around. The joke may have been (in fact almost certainly was) suffused with a bitter sarcasm, based on his low opinion of Trump, but come on.
We’re done here. For now, at least.
— Jeff B. (@EsotericCD) September 21, 2018
Look, Rod Rosenstein is a high-ranking DOJ official. I think it’s safe to say he is familiar with how both the US Constitution and politics work. There is a zero percent chance that he, unlike flatulent media commentators, was seriously floating removal under the 25th Amendment.
— Jeff B. (@EsotericCD) September 21, 2018
Everyone who thinks this is coming from the Fire Rosenstein/Dissolve the Mueller probe camp is probably right. But that is more evidence of how flailing they are. The declass gambit seems to have been a bust.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) September 21, 2018
Fascinating, but have to keep in mind that McCabe and a bunch of ppl at FBI were very likely pissed at Rosenstein for firing Comey. If Rosenstein was joking as he claims, would FBI ppl have interpreted it that way? https://t.co/aUtsxgaTOq
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) September 21, 2018
If Rosenstein really thought the Comey firing was this bad, why would he agree to put his name on a letter recommending Comey be fired? I don’t buy this story, especially without any on the record sourcing. https://t.co/R1Ud3Rr1w5
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) September 21, 2018
The President is often dismissive of anonymously sourced reports—even in the NY Times—but if he sees any truth to the report, Rosenstein’s job and very possibly the Mueller investigation are in serious peril.
— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) September 21, 2018
Important to note also that Rosenstein’s statement is a non-denial denial. He dismisses the report as inaccurate and says there’s no basis for the 25th amendment, but doesn’t deny that he discussed it with DOJ/FBI officials.
— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) September 21, 2018
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Comments
“Trump fired Trump??“ Please correct error.
May 2016=May 2017
Treat this like what it is, a coup attempt.
Lots of scalps need to be taken, clean the rot out.
Called it months ago.
Mueller has nothing. He knows it, Rosenstein knows it, the Democrats know it.
So his last play is to goad Trump into firing him. This is step 1 towards that process.
Now don’t get me wrong. Rosenstein is a slimy little toad and I fully believe that he DID offer to wear a wire to try and get rid of Trump (and probably gave up on the idea when he realized Trump would never actually say something worth the nearly assured prison sentence).
But for this to suddenly come out in the NYT? This is Rosenstein and Mueller trying to goad Trump into a firing before the election so the Democrats can scream and bitch and whine about it.
NY Times running a story that makes Trump look like a criminal based on anonymous sources = fraud.
Heck, I barely believe them when they use *named* sources, particularly since even those turn around and say “We didn’t say that!”
“When did all of this supposedly begin? May 2016. Rosenstein and Sessions joined Trump in the Oval Office and the president suggested firing Comey. ”
Mary, if I’m reading this correctly, it can’t have happened in May 2016. Must be 2017.
From anonymous sources. At this moment in history trusting anything the New York Times publishes is a mistake.
Considering that it’s the Times, there is approximately zero chance that any of this derives from the real world.
Anonymous sources who were allegedly briefed on a memo which allegedly describes comments Rosenstein allegedly made.
How many layers of hearsay is that?
McCabe has confirmed that this conversation happened and that the report is correct.
So he says, but how confident are you that he’s telling the truth?
McCabe is facing possible criminal charges. Rosenstein has ultimate control over those pending charges. What better way to send a message to Rosenstein that he [McCabe] is in a position to harm him, and others, if he is not protected. Rememeber, the main reason for the post-election actions of the anti-Trump government office-holders is to protect themselves from legal action for their actions prior to the election.
It does not matter whether WE believe McCabe or not; as long as Rosenstein and the rest of the conspirators “believe” him.
The same McCabe who was fired two days before he could retire? Yeah, who’d even think doubt his word?
And we already know that RR and his co-conspirators set up an intelligence trap and a legal trap to destroy Trump. A plan to record Trump is quite possible.
RR was involved in the Uranium deal, in regards to stopping the Russian bribery investigation, with his partner is crime Mueller.
McCabe issued a statement in which he didn’t deny it. So using the Ford-Kavanaugh dim doubt metric as a rule of thumb, both Rosenstein and Mueller have to go.
The NYT story is nothing more than cover for Rosenstein.
Sessions brought Rosenstein in when he (Sessions) recused himself in the Russian Collusion matter. Immediately Rosenstein drafts a memo strongly suggesting that Trump fire Comey. Comey and Rosenstein have been shown to have had a cosy relationship in the past. The purpose of this was to protect Comey while lending credence to the Dem claim that Trumps was obstructing justice. Rosenstein writes an authorization for a SC which was so vague and expansive that it was a farce. Rosenstein then appoints Mueller, another man with whom he has a comfortable past relationship, as SC. We all know what the Mueller investigation has become. Add to that the fact that Rosenstein actually signed one of the FISA affidavits and covered for Mueller following the Manafort raid. And, Rosenstein has lead the DOJ in stonewalling the release of documents to Congress and the public.
Rosenstein was part of the insurance policy against Trump. But, now that the operation is falling apart and is about to see the light of day, the spin starts. This is designed to paint Rosenstein as a dedicated public servant who was only trying to do what the President wanted only to become concerned that Trump was dangerously unstable. The Times KNOWS that Rosenstein will either resign or be fired for his activities in all of this and this is supposed to make it look as though Trump is being petty when it happens. If it happens before the midterms, not likely, then it can be used against the Republicans.
More political Kabuki.
Mac45 says, “Rosenstein was part of the insurance policy against Trump. But, now that the operation is falling apart and is about to see the light of day, the spin starts. This is designed to paint Rosenstein as a dedicated public servant who was only trying to do what the President wanted only to become concerned that Trump was dangerously unstable.”
You nailed it!
But I’m starting to see the rest of the story differently now. I think that after Trump was elected, those in potions of power and who knew what the corrupted small group was up to, opened a counter-investigation. The corrupted small group had no idea it was happening. Maybe the military was in charge, after all it is a coup attempt, I have no idea who ran it.
So, from the moment Trump was elected and ongoing thru today I believe Trump and those conducting a counter-investigation of the conspirators kept their enemies (small group and their cohorts) close to closely monitor them and allow these conspirators to to lead them to the gold.
And now, we are seeing the wrap up of the inside counter-investigation. If I’m right, and I think I am, it certainly makes everything we kept hearing from the shadows fall neatly into place. It’s going to be quite a show.
Reading some of the comments over at the NYTimes article, one would almost think the leftists expect the newspaper of record to spike such a story, lest Trump take full advantage of the political fallout. These people are all incredibly shameless.
Shame has nothing to do with it. Fascism and willingness to bring down our Nation, if that is what is required to get the left in power.
Then just imagine what they’d do to keep that power.
I suspect that Rosenstein is trying to goad DJT into firing him because he doesn’t want to be seen as being insubordinate regarding the FISA redactions. If he’s gone this way he can claim martyr status and deflect his culpability on the bogus warrant application.
When the redacted FISA application is released, I believe that Rosenstein will be one of the people looking for representation because he fears indictment.
PS: I also believe that Rosenstein is trying to set up Bruce Ohr to take the major fall for the fiasco that this “insurance policy” has become.
This is what a house of cards looks like .0000000000001 seconds after the first card slips.
Fire him anyway, but do it after the November elections when Trump gets rid of Sessionszzz too.
Why would anyone believe anything the NYT has to say about anything to do with Trump?
Sure, some of it may be correct but how do you tell what and who?
I ignore most of what the #FakeNews says goes on around Trump or what he’s supposedly said.
There’s no basis for belief and they provide no way to corroborate. Even naming people doesn’t qualify.
These rats are realizing that prison is becoming more and more likely so they are beginning to turn on each other. McCabe has already come out and vouched for the accuracy of this report. Sessions MUST fire Rosenstein immediately. If he doesn’t, maybe the rumors that he was in on this conspiracy are true. Looks like we are about to find out.
Only if you believe McCabe.
NYT knows that those FISA memos are going to be released imminently so this can’t be bait. The truth is about to come out.
How about the so-called “conservatives” find their spines and actually come out and support solutions for a change? Why are “conservatives” so afraid of winning? This constant angst at the goal line is infuriating. Do we want to win or don’t we? We aren’t walking into a trap by winning! This would be a major tide-reversal victory! Let’s jump on it!
Start purging the traitors immediately so Trump, the FIRST and ONLY guy we ever supported who actually fights, can focus on what we elected him to do! Just think of what it would be like without the handicap of being surrounded by traitors!
Personally, I say all the key members of the administration are leaking nonsense…to determine who the source of the leaks are. I think there is a bet as to which one of the Trump’s top staff is going to get the press to report the fakiest #FakeNews. Whoever came up with this Rosenstein bit is in the running.
BTW, the FBI and DOJ are both openly defying Trump’s order to release the unredacted FISA memos. Both are being insubordinate. This alone is grounds for firing both Rosenstein and Sessions. Why they did so will very likely be revealed once their replacements release those memos.
The “Resistance” and “NeverTrumpers” are about to be revealed for what they are. And yes, I am sure there will be calls to impeach Trump. So what? That is what desperate people do when they give up hope. They act desperately. This will be a blockbuster victory for Trump. Once again, his “odd pronouncements” are proven to be correct. He will be vindicated and it will show at the ballot box in November.
This is what winning looks like.
Trump changed his mind.
actually he was “convinced” by the DOJ to halt the order
the order is still out there but Trump for whatever reason has allowed a short delay in their release
honestly – I find it absurd it has taken this long to declassify these materials that likely have ZERO sensitive material when it comes to national security
Congress has been waiting on this for what – a year now?
We are all guessing and we’ll find out soon enough. But Hannity and crew are reporting a completely different take than what is being reported here. They are saying that this is a desperate group of rats turning on each other. McCabe has already come out and vouched for the accuracy of the NYT story. No one wants to be the only one going down with the ship and taking the blame. Those FISA memos are going to be released one way or the other and I really doubt the rats are going to be exonerated.
Get an editor.
s/2016/2017
s/fired Trump/fired Comey
OMG. Thankfully Trump didn’t fall into that trap.
If true this would be a definite firing offense. How could the president have confidence in him after something like this? However…
That makes more sense.
Exactly. As I’ve explained here several times, removing a president against his will by the 25th amendment is harder than doing so by impeachment. It’s designed for only two purposes: (a) removing a president who does not object but is unable to sign a letter of resignation; (b) removing a much-beloved president whom nobody wants to impeach, but who is unwilling to accept that he’s become incompetent.
Milhouse, they’re volunteers. A few typos are nothing in the grand scheme of things.
BTW, dear Volunteers, thanks for keeping me up to date. :^)))
So Rosenstein’s position was that Trumps administration was in disarray because Trump wasn’t doing what Rosenstein thought he should do. I’d suggest the disarray is coming from the Resist people left over from the Obama administration and firing them would be in the best interests of the country.
Am I missing anything here? Why is this not sedition?
Anyone remember McCabe saying he would burn the house down if he lost his pension?
This creepy rat Rosenstein would have fit right in with Stalin’s NKVD.
Btw, we didn’t need the NY Slimes to tell us what a POS Rosenstein.
But re the NY Slimes, it takes one to know now, doesn’t it.
So many machinations occurring there’s no way for us outsiders to know who is playing whom.
I waiting for the dust to settle.
It’s hard to credit this. It’s D.U.-level fever-dream stuff. Rosenstein may be a weasel, but it’s hard to believe he’s dumb enough to think the 25th can possibly apply, and even harder to believe he’d be dumb enough to talk about it.