The man who allegedly conspired with the likes of James Comey and Andrew McCabe to overthrow a sitting president is still garnering approximately $20,000 a month in taxpayer-funded salary, along with all the government benefits that come with it.
On Sept. 24, 2018, Axios reported that Rosenstein verbally offered to resign after The New York Times published a story claiming that he actively pushed the idea of secretly recording President Trump and conspiring to invoke the 25th Amendment, something Rosenstein himself has yet to deny.
Months later, Rosenstein still hasn’t vacated his office. On Jan. 9, multiple outlets reported that Rosenstein would resign before the next month, but Feb. 9 came and went with Rosenstein remaining second-in-command at the Department of Justice. New Attorney General Bill Barr was sworn into office on Feb. 14, yet Rosenstein is still there.
Then we were told to expect his departure in “mid-March.” On Tuesday we were told he’d be staying longer. This is the longest exit-stage music ever.
How can a man who’s allegedly lied to Congress and obstructed congressional investigations still be employed at one of the highest levels of government?
Seeking an answer to that very question, the Senate Judiciary Committee is demanding that the DOJ turn over documents pertaining to discussions among top officials, including Rosenstein, about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
In a letter to Barr last Friday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that his panel intends to investigate the allegations and gave Barr a two week deadline to turn over any documents relating to conversations between FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Rosenstein about the 25th Amendment or about covertly recording Trump.
Ironically, had it not been for former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s interference in 2018, the House likely would have already impeached Rosenstein for his conduct. Several Republican lawmakers filed articles of impeachment against Rosenstein for withholding documents and making misleading statements to Congress. While Ryan acknowledged difficulties getting the DOJ to comply with congressional requests, he refused to hold a vote on the impeachment effort.
In addition to allegedly stonewalling congressional investigators on multiple occasions, Rosenstein is also the subject of a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, which alleges that the DOJ has failed to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests seeking documentation of Rosenstein’s actions immediately preceding his appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel.
Despite all of this, Rosenstein remains in office. Anyone else facing such extensive and egregious accusations would almost certainly have been removed long ago or simply resigned, but Rosenstein’s disdain for Trump is no secret, and the establishment has evidently circled their wagons around him.
As long as Rosenstein has the protection of the DOJ, the public may never get the answers they deserve about his role to oust Trump, nor the confidence in our most important law enforcement agencies that they once had before the last presidential election. We deserve to trust in the legitimacy of our government at every level.
Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) is a member of the Trump 2020 Advisory Board. She is a constitutional law attorney, radio host, and the author of The Legal Basis for a Moral Constitution.
