- Explosive NY Times report says a frustrated Rosenstein discussed using his phone to tape discussions with Trump in order to document Oval Office chaos
- That, the Times said, would generate proof that Trump was unfit for office and should be removed via the 25th Amendment
- Rosenstein reportedly made the comment to then-Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and FBI lawyer Lisa Page
- A former Obama-era Justice Department spokesman tweeted a suggestion that McCabe leaked the tale to the Times in a ‘dangerous game’
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested last year that he should make covert audio recordings of President Trump in order to build a case for removing him from office, according to a New York Times report.
Rosenstein disputed that account on Friday, and a Justice Department official who was reportedly in the room when Rosenstein talked about using the 25th Amendment to end the Trump presidency says he was being sarcastic.
That account agrees with a Fox News report based on sources who were in the room and said the meeting took place May 16, 2017.
The Washington Post, too, cited a source who said Rosenstein’s comment was biting but unserious.
The 25th Amendment allows for a majority of the president’s cabinet, or ‘such other body as Congress may by law provide,’ to decide if an Oval Office occupant is unable to carry out his duties – and then to put it to a full congressional vote.