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Matt Zapotosky
A national security reporter covering the Department of Justice
Devlin Barrett
Reporter focused on national security and law enforcement
President Trump said Wednesday that he would prefer to retain Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general and could postpone a meeting on Thursday to discuss the future of Rosenstein's work.
At a rare press conference, Trump said he and Rosenstein had already had a "good conversation" and that he "would certainly prefer" to keep him in second place in the justice department.
"My preference would be to keep it and let it finish," said Trump.
Rosenstein's work has been undermined since last week, after former FBI interim director Andrew McCabe said that Rosenstein had exchanged the idea of listening to the president or the president. 39, use a constitutional amendment to return him to the post of commander. -chief. Rosenstein dismissed the news stories as generally false, and he told the White House that Mr. McCabe had exaggerated.
The president suggested that he was always comfortable with Rosenstein for staying in the job in part because he was so skeptical of Andrew McCabe – a frequent target of Trump.
"He said that he never said it, he said that he did not believe it, he said that he had a lot of respect for me," Trump said. Wednesday in Rosenstein. "He is very kind and we will see."
[Trump holds his fire as advisers urge him not to dismiss Rosenstein]
During the weekend, Rosenstein offered to resign and said in particular that he was ready to step down if Trump did not denigrate him. On Monday, his departure was so certain that the Department of Justice had put in place a succession plan. Matt Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, would succeed Rosenstein – except in his oversight of the Special Adviser's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, which would be led by Solicitor General Noel Francisco.
None of this has happened. Rosenstein went to the White House for a meeting with Trump's chief of staff, and the White House quickly announced that he would be back on Thursday to meet with Trump himself. Although it is still unclear what will happen, White House officials said Trump would probably not return Rosenstein until the mid-term elections and that Justice officials are skeptical about the current resignation of Rosenstein.
Trump said Wednesday he could call Rosenstein and ask him to delay the meeting so he does not compete. [with] and hurt "the hearing for Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh.
Rosenstein and Sessions have been on the ice for over a year, as Trump privately and publicly said about the dismissal of the two men. The President is upset that Sessions has recused himself from what is now the Special Council's investigation. Even though he said Wednesday that he would prefer to keep Rosenstein, Trump again denounced this investigation as a "witch hunt".
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