Lawyer Trump wanted to hire urges him to fire Rosenstein

An attorney President Trump sought to add to his legal team said in an interview published Thursday that he has pushed Trump to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling. 

“I would fire Rosenstein in a New York minute, without any question,” Joe diGenova said on ABC’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast with Jonathan Karl and Rick Klein. 

DiGenova’s hiring by Trump was announced last month, but conflicts of interest reportedly prevented him from taking the job.

In his new remarks, he slammed Rosenstein for approving Monday’s FBI raids on Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen.

{mosads}”Rosenstein authorized what I consider to be an unconstitutional search of Mr. Cohen’s office in New York,” he said, referring to the deputy attorney general as “disloyal.”

“It was an outrageous breach of protocol and Justice Department ethics and rules and regulations. Yes, I would fire Rod Rosenstein, without a doubt,” he said. 

The lawyer said he had spoken with Trump within the last 24 hours. 

On Monday, federal agents, acting in part on a referral from Mueller, raided Cohen’s office, hotel room and home, gathering bank records, laptops, and documents, some of them related to the $130,000 payment Cohen made as part of a nondisclosure agreement to adult film star Stormy Daniels, in order to silence her about her alleged affair with Trump in 2006. 

CNN reported Thursday that the White House is preparing a coordinated series of talking points meant to undermine Rosenstein as Trump, who is furious about the raids, considers how to respond.

Rosenstein and Trump met at the White House on Thursday, and discussed “routine [Justice] Department business,” according to the White House.