President Trump cast blame on Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Sunday for the Rod Rosenstein controversy, in another sign that the strained relationship between the president and the top Justice Department official may be beyond repair.
“He was hired by Jeff Sessions,” Trump told “The Geraldo Show” on WTAM radio. “I was not involved in that process because, you know, they go out and get their own deputies and the people that work in the department. Jeff Sessions hired him.”
[New: Rosenstein still at DOJ, never offered to leave, likely to stay: Source]
Trump nominated Rosenstein to be deputy attorney general on Jan. 31, 2017. He was confirmed as the second-ranking official at the Justice Department in April of last year.
A New York Times report last week said Rosenstein had considered rallying members of Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and offered to wear a wire to record his conversations with Trump after former FBI Director James Comey was fired. Rosenstein has denied ever considering such actions.
Trump’s comments are the first time he directly addressed the controversy.
He called it “a very sad story” and hinted at a possible leadership change at the Justice Department in response.
“We will make a determination,” he said.
At a rally in Missouri on Friday, Trump spoke about getting rid of the “lingering stench” at the department and the FBI, but he did not specifically mention Rosenstein.
