NY Times: Rosenstein Suggested Recording Trump To Prove White House Chaos

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the Dept. of Justice

The New York Times is reporting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested secretly recording Donald Trump in the White House in the chaotic days following Trump's firing of former FBI director, James Comey.

The report goes on to say Rosenstein spoke to cabinet members about invoking the 25th Amendment to consider removing Trump from office.

Mr. Rosenstein made these suggestions in the spring of 2017 when Mr. Trump’s firing of James B. Comey as F.B.I. director plunged the White House into turmoil. Over the ensuing days, the president divulged classified intelligence to Russians in the Oval Office, and revelations emerged that Mr. Trump had asked Mr. Comey to pledge loyalty and end an investigation into a senior aide.

Mr. Rosenstein was just two weeks into his job. He had begun overseeing the Russia investigation and played a key role in the president’s dismissal of Mr. Comey by writing a memo critical of his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. But Mr. Rosenstein was caught off guard when Mr. Trump cited the memo in the firing, and he began telling people that he feared he had been used.

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.

As Republicans called for Rosenstein's firing,  Fox News host Sean Hannity warned the story could be a 'set-up.'

Sean Hannity on Rosenstein: "I have a message for the president tonight. Under zero circumstances should the president fire anybody. These actors, tonight, and I have multiple sources confirming this ... it is all a set up" pic.twitter.com/xAjHLcfDh3

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) September 22, 2018

Rosenstein denies he ever considered "wearing a wire" to oust the Trumpster.

Rosenstein adamantly denied the accusations that he discussed wearing 'wire,' invoking 25th Amendment against Trump. https://t.co/DCdUr4QVLl pic.twitter.com/RFKerEnxFq

— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) September 22, 2018