The White House is putting together talking points with the goal of damaging Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s credibility, according to a report.
Sources told CNN the talking points are not finalized, but the White House wants Trump’s defenders to highlight Rosenstein’s role in former FBI Director James Comey’s firing.
Rosenstein authored a memo detailing why Comey should be terminated, which focused on the FBI’s investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of an unauthorized, private email service.
The White House is reportedly hoping Trump’s surrogates describe Rosenstein and Comey as being close, which would suggest that Rosenstein is allowing for the Russia investigation to expand as an act of retribution.
A source close to Rosenstein, though, said he and Comey are not friends.
According to CNN, the plan calls for Trump backers to paint the deputy attorney general as being unable to fairly oversee the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Rosenstein has oversight over the probe, which is being led by special counsel Robert Mueller, due to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal.
Trump has been fuming over the last few days and was said to be considering whether to fire Rosenstein after the FBI raided the office, home, and hotel room of his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen.
[Related: Trump signals Rod Rosenstein is on the outs as the ‘most conflicted of all’]
Rosenstein personally approved the FBI’s decision to conduct the raid, and federal prosecutors obtained the search warrant for Cohen’s office after receiving a referral from Mueller.
Rosenstein was at the White House earlier Thursday where he met with White House officials — Trump included — alongside FBI officials to discuss congressional documents.
A Justice Department official told the Washington Examiner that Rosenstein is “fine” following the meeting.
“Rod Rosenstein met with the president at the White House regarding routine department business,” a White House official told the Washington Examiner.
The White House meeting comes a day after Rosenstein met with Republican lawmakers over a request to see a document that Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said started the DOJ and FBI’s Russia probe.
Nunes, ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and all members of the House Intelligence Committee were provided access to the requested document on Wednesday, but with names redacted.
Nunes had been threatening Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray with impeachment for stonewalling documents requests — something Trump has expressed his anger about on Twitter as well.
According to CNN, several Trump surrogates have said during public appearances that Rosenstein should be fired, and some, though not all, did so at the White House’s request.
White House officials are also reportedly working to boost the argument that Rosenstein should have recused himself from the Russia investigation.
