CNN: White House circulating plan to undermine Rosenstein

The White House is reportedly preparing talking points as part of an effort to undermine Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, as Trump associates this week call for him to be ousted over accusations of bias.

The plan, still in its early stages of development, will instruct key Trump allies to question Rosenstein’s impartiality as the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, CNN reported Thursday.

The White House wants allies of the president to emphasize Rosenstein’s status as a witness to Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey, according to the report.

The No. 2 DOJ official wrote the memo justifying the dismissal of Comey that centered on his handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of State.

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The White House plan includes pushing allies to portray Comey and Rosenstein as close colleagues, suggesting the top DOJ official wanted revenge on Trump for ousting “one of his best friends,” a source told CNN. However, one source told the network that the two are not friends. 

Rosenstein is under scrutiny by Trump loyalists after the senior DOJ official reportedly signed off on FBI raids of a hotel room and office for longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen following a referral by Mueller’s team to prosecutors in New York.

Among those calling for Trump to fire Rosenstein is former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who this week pitched his own plan to the White House for Trump to use executive action to shield himself from Mueller’s investigation and stop cooperating with the probe. 

While the White House maintained earlier this week that Trump believes he has the authority to fire Mueller, the president tweeted Thursday that he and his legal team were fully cooperating with the special counsel. 

Rosenstein took the reins of the Russia probe and appointed Mueller as special counsel following Comey’s dismissal as FBI director last year.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former campaign adviser for Trump, had recused himself months earlier from any probe involving Russia’s election meddling.