The deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, suggested last year that he secretly record President Trump in the White House to expose the chaos consuming the administration, and he discussed recruiting cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office for being unfit.
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."Spring of 2017." That's an elephantine (no pun) gestation period for this story, isn't it!? But, coming now, it provides a fortuitous boost to the "deep state"/ "the Justice Department is out to get me" narratives being pushed by Putin asset Donald "Rump" Trump at a time when Rump's slavering to spike the Special Counsel's investigation by taking out Rosenstein for cause. Meanwhile, a person in the room at the time has said Rosenstein made the wire comment sarcastically and never made a comment about the 25th Amendment.
Is it just us, or does this smell more than a little like a malicious, misleading "leak" that the Times, eager for a "scoop," lapped up and spit out half- baked? Because there's some serious Rump- bolstering stenography going on here.
It's certainly had a predictable effect, with the usual suspects jumping on it as proof! Proof! of the deep state conspiracy and corruption in the DOJ. Send in the clowns:
Shocked!!! Absolutely Shocked!!! Ohhh, who are we kidding at this point? No one is shocked that these guys would do anything in their power to undermine @realdonaldtrump.— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 21, 2018
Rosenstein Suggested He Secretly Record Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment https://t.co/ZTEwS8E1iJ
Laura Ingraham (tweet since deleted -- wonder why? Maybe this?):
Rod Rosenstein must be fired today. @realDonaldTrump— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) September 21, 2018
Once again, The Times carries Rump's water, with consequences that may be on us sooner rather than later.
BONUS: Charles Pierce sees much the same --
If you were a mendacious, criminal president* with a lot to cover up and the walls closing in from all sides, isn't this exactly the story you'd want out there as an excuse to fire Rod Rosenstein and then appoint someone who would fire Robert Mueller? Isn't this exactly the kind of story that you would want out there in order to superheat the boilers of paranoia that drive your base, especially on the same day that you walked back your promise to feed the base declassified parchments from the Illuminati who run The Deep State? Isn't this exactly the kind of story you would want out there on the day the news breaks that your old personal lawyer is talking to Mueller's people about your campaign, and Russia, and god alone knows what else?
BONUS II: Marcy Wheeler is of the same mind, and notes the effect of The Times piece is to spin the story as if the decision to bring Mueller in was made by Rosenstein acting "erratically."
