21 September 2018•Update: 21 September 2018
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested he secretly record U.S. President Donald Trump and discussed conducting an effort to remove him from office using the 25th Amendment of the Constitution, according to a Friday report.
Rosenstein made the proposals in the wake of Trump's abrupt May 2017 dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey. The recordings were to be used to expose the inner turmoil within the White House at that time, according to the New York Times.
The 25th Amendment allows for a sitting president to be removed from office if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet decides he is unable to discharge his duties.
Rosenstein made the comments during meetings with Justice and FBI officials, according to the Times.
The newspaper based its story on conversations with several people who it said they were briefed on the events or memos authored by FBI officials, including former Acting Director Andrew McCabe.
None of Rosenstein's proposals were enacted, and the Times said it is unclear how determined he was about them. A Justice Department spokeswoman gave the newspaper a statement from a person who was present when the deputy attorney general suggested wearing a wire. That person, who was not named, claimed Rosenstein was speaking sarcastically.
Rosenstein disputed the Times's story as "inaccurate and factually incorrect.”
"I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda. But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment,” he said.
