Former CIA Director John Brennan is calling on government officials fed up with President Trump’s attempts to “subvert or manipulate law enforcement” to resist the temptation to resign.
Instead he argued they should wait to be fired.
“Any attempt by the White House to subvert or manipulate law enforcement should be resisted,” Brennan tweeted Monday evening. “Rather than resigning, officials should stand their ground & wait to be fired. Resisting abuse of presidential authority is not a policy difference; it’s about adhering to the rule of law.”
Any attempt by the White House to subvert or manipulate law enforcement should be resisted. Rather than resigning, officials should stand their ground & wait to be fired. Resisting abuse of presidential authority is not a policy difference; it’s about adhering to the rule of law.
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) September 24, 2018
Brennan tweeted in the aftermath of a chaotic day in which initial reports indicated that Rosenstein had verbally offered his resignation as he expected to be fired. But after visiting the White House, Rosenstein returned to the Justice Department in the early afternoon, still with his job, and a statement from the White House saying he and President Trump will meet Thursday.
The question of whether Rosenstein would resign or be fired raised questions about implications for the Russia investigation, which he is overseeing, as it could be perceived as a move by Trump to crack down on an inquiry he has derided as a “witch hunt.” Trump has also criticized top officials in the DOJ and FBI, including his attorney general.
This controversy followed reporting Friday that said Rosenstein talked about secretly recording Trump and invoking the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to oust the president after Comey was fired in May 2017. Rosenstein has denied considering such actions, and follow-up reports said he was being sarcastic or joking about the wire.
Brennan, a vocal Trump critic, made multiple TV interview appearances last week to decry Trump’s declassification order — which Trump later reversed — and said he hoped “individuals of conscience” work to block it.
