Rosenstein's Fate

Yesterday morning, Fox News reported that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein had gone to the White House and given his "oral" resignation to Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Fox got it wrong. Rosenstein didn't resign.

However, he should. Or be fired for suggesting the President of the United States be set up with a secret wire recording, then removed from office using the 25th Amendment.

He now denies he meant it.

As Lord Marmion wrote, "Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive."

A closer look at the "tangled web."


Lord Marmion's line came to mind as I have been following this story the past couple of days---especially yesterday. Marmion's story has to do with intrigue and deception in the castle.

Fox News reported yesterday morning that the Deputy Attorney General was headed to the White House and would be offering his oral resignation to Chief of Staff John Kelly.

That was partially true. He was headed to the White House. But he didn't offer his resignation. Of course, Fox corrected the story later yesterday morning, saying "one initial report indicated the embattled number 2 at DOJ had already quit...but he has neither quit or been fired as of noon Monday."

Hopefully, one or the other will happen. He deserves to fired.

In either event, here's an overview of Rosentstein's scheme.

The tangled web that Rosenstein has woven.

Soon after President Trump appointed Jeff Sessions Attorney General, the Mueller investigation, that was supposed to be about exposing "collusion" between President Trump and Russia, was launched.

Newly appointed Sessions immediately recused himself from anything to do with the investigation.

This surprised the president and many who voted for the president.

This put Deputy A/G Rosenstein in charge---at a critical time that Trump had expected Sessions to be in charge.

Rosenstein, as Deputy A/G, oversees the Mueller investigation---something A/G Jeff Sessions should have been doing.

Rosenstein has not served this president well. Nor has he served the nearly 60 million citizens who elected this president very well, yet he continues to trumpet his loyalty to "this nation."

His acts, and now his words betray his claims.

The New York Times recently published an article in which they claimed that Rosenstein had discussed wearing a "wire" to tape Trump and pursuing his removal from office in meetings and conversations with Justice Department and FBI officials.

This would have happened in the days just following the firing of FBI Director James Comey, one of Rosenstein's allies.

You may recall when President Trump fired Comey, he quoted a part of a memo he received from Rosenstein suggesting he fire Comey.

Whoops. This caught Rosenstein off guard---he was supposed to be an ally of Comey's. It also caught Comey off guard.

Rosenstein was then fighting for his political life. The New York Times says this:

Mr. Rosenstein made the remarks about secretly recording Mr. Trump and about the 25th Amendment in meetings and conversations with other Justice Department and F.B.I. officials. Several people described the episodes in interviews over the past several months, insisting on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The people were briefed either on the events themselves or on memos written by F.B.I. officials, including Andrew G. McCabe, then the acting bureau director, that documented Mr. Rosenstein’s actions and comments.

None of Mr. Rosenstein’s proposals apparently came to fruition. It is not clear how determined he was about seeing them through, though he did tell Mr. McCabe that he might be able to persuade Attorney General Jeff Sessions and John F. Kelly, then the secretary of homeland security and now the White House chief of staff, to mount an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment.

The extreme suggestions show Mr. Rosenstein’s state of mind in the disorienting days that followed Mr. Comey’s dismissal. Sitting in on Mr. Trump’s interviews with prospective F.B.I. directors and facing attacks for his own role in Mr. Comey’s firing, Mr. Rosenstein had an up-close view of the tumult. Mr. Rosenstein appeared conflicted, regretful and emotional, according to people who spoke with him at the time.

The Washington Post says that "Rosenstein quipped sarcastically after McCabe pushed for an investigation into the president, 'What do you want to do, Andy? Wiretap the president'? "

One source in the meeting said Rosenstein was just being sarcastic, but many others in the meeting said "he meant it."

Some of the people in the room were former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former FBI counsel Lisa Paige.

Mueller was appointed as special counsel the next day.

Rosenstein's fate.

Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein says the New York Times story is "factually incorrect," he didn't really mean it, and "based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment."

I personally think Rosenstein is taking himself way too seriously.

Ironically, most of us didn't think there was a basis in the first place. Nearly 60 million people voted for Trump because we believed Trump would confront what we now know actually exists---the Deep State. The Swamp.

Rosenstein has also created a lack of good will among the people we have elected to "oversee" the folks like Rosenstein.

In fact, he has been so "above it all" with Congress and their requests for information, that Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman and a prominent member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, have introduced 5 articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.

He has repeatedly refused to turn over information that the oversight committee rightly have a right to review, and has failed to comply with subpoenas and has abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the attempt to bring down the president.

Yesterday we learned Rosenstein will meet with the president on Thursday to discuss his future.

I believe he deserves to be fired.

This episode reminds me of another story, not written by Lord Marmion, but an actual inspired account given by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 36: 14-20 is the story of a man who, while claiming to speak for the king, was actually pushing his own agenda. And gives an attractive opportunity to surrender to an Assyrian king and enjoy the good life as a pampered slave.

The man says in verse 14: "This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord, when he says 'The Lord will surely deliver us'."

I'll be talking more about this on the radio today. Join me live at 9 AM on ACN or see other options here.

"I say this so that no one will delude you with a persuasive argument" (Paul to the Colossians 2:4).

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Faithful. Be Prayerful.