The FBI reportedly took Rosenstein's comments about wiretapping Trump seriously
Rod Rosenstein may not be out of the woods just yet.
A new report from The Washington Post indicates that Rosenstein's apparent suggestion in 2017 that he secretly record President Trump was actually taken quite seriously at the time. After reports emerged last month that Rosenstein made this comment, some suggested he was just being sarcastic. Indeed, that was the defense Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani offered to The Washington Post this week.
But according to the new report, Rosenstein's idea wasn't seen as a joke by Andrew McCabe, then-acting FBI director, who immediately took it to the FBI's top lawyer, James Baker. And now, The Washington Post reports Baker told congressional investigators last week that Rosenstein's comments were presented to him as being serious by senior FBI officials, although he was not personally at the meeting where the comments were made. While Baker reportedly said that Rosenstein wasn't making an official request, he was still "very serious."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After The New York Times originally reported on Rosenstein's 2017 comments, the deputy attorney general apparently went to the White House expecting to be fired, and reports emerged that he had offered to resign. He ended up staying in his job and met with Trump for 30 minutes on Monday, after which Trump said he had no plans to fire him.
According to The Washington Post, Trump's advisers have warned him not to fire Rosenstein until after the midterms, as it would create the impression that he is trying to obstruct justice seeing as Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. Whether Trump will keep Rosenstein around after the midterms remains to be seen.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Autumn Budget: will Rachel Reeves raid the rich?Talking Point To fill Britain’s financial black hole, the Chancellor will have to consider everything – except an income tax rise
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
