Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein miraculously talked President Trump into keeping him employed, but he may not do so well in front of investigative lawmakers on Capitol Hill. That’s where he’s headed next week, where he’ll be put under the harsh spotlight by House Republicans who have grave concerns about Rosenstein’s ability to lead the Justice Department’s Russia investigation.
Earlier this year, insider reports indicted Rosenstein for his bizarre behavior in the wake of James Comey’s 2017 firing. People close to the Deputy AG say that he made several remarks about wearing a wire while speaking with President Trump. Furthermore, Rosenstein reportedly talked about recruiting several members of the President’s Cabinet for a 25th Amendment effort to kick Trump out of office.
Rosenstein reportedly tried to tender his resignation the day after the story broke, but White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told him to go back to the DOJ and await his eventual meeting with Trump. When that meeting finally transpired aboard Air Force One, Rosenstein returned to his job, apparently secure in his employment for the time being.
Ah, but things can change on a dime, especially in this administration. And when Rosenstein faces his already-hostile questioners on Capitol Hill, he will have to come up with an explanation for his comments that goes beyond, “Hurr, I was just joking,” which is the only excuse we’ve heard thus far.
On Thursday, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy announced that Rosenstein would appear for a transcribed interview on Wednesday.
“A court reporter will be present to record all questions asked and answers provided,” the two said in a statement. “The interview will be under oath. The transcript will then be reviewed by the Intelligence Community to avoid the public dissemination of classified or otherwise protected information. Once cleared, the transcript will be publicly available.”
From what we can gather, the two committee chairmen will be the only ones to directly ask Rosenstein any questions, which takes off the table two of the Deputy AG’s fiercest critics: Rep. Mark Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan. Although, hopefully, they and others will be allowed to submit questions to Goodlatte and Gowdy.
We’d especially like to hear questions from Meadows, who this week called on Rosenstein to turn in his wings.
“Based on additional information we’ve learned over the last week, it is clear Rod Rosenstein should resign immediately,” Meadows wrote. “He has not cooperated with Congress, failed to be transparent about his actions, and shown a lack of candor in the way he’s characterized a number of events.”
Perhaps we’ll finally get that candor on Wednesday. Regardless, we can be sure that President Trump will be paying close attention to what Rosenstein says – and doesn’t say – under oath.
