President Trump and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had a cordial exchange at an immigration event Wednesday despite rising tensions over the president’s claims of a “criminal deep state” within the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Rosenstein was among the federal officials to attend a roundtable Wednesday in Long Island about closing loopholes in U.S. immigration law to combat MS-13 gang violence.
The deputy attorney general laid out a series of loopholes that he argued makes it more difficult to combat the spread of MS-13 and immigrants in the country illegally who are involved in crime.
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He said current laws protect unaccompanied minors who enter the country illegally from being removed on an expedited basis.
“The consequence is, although we’re doing everything we can to combat crime in the United States, we’re letting people in who are creating problems. We’re letting people in who are gang members, and letting people in who are vulnerable (to recruitment),” Rosenstein said.
“We’re hopeful, Mr. President, that we can get assistance from Congress in closing some of these loopholes,” he added.
“That’s great, Rod,” Trump responded. “And I think it’s happening. I’m seeing a willingness — even to a certain extent from the Democrats are starting to come around — but it’s brutal.
“As you know better than anybody. It’s a tough situation.”
Rosenstein attended Wednesday’s roundtable amid tensions with the president over an internal DOJ investigation. The president one day earlier declined to answer whether he had confidence in Rosenstein.
Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray met with Trump earlier this week to discuss the president’s demand that the Justice Department investigate his claim that a spy was embedded in his campaign for political purposes.
Trump agreed with Rosenstein’s request for the DOJ’s inspector general to probe the allegations. In the meantime, Republican lawmakers will be briefed on information about the confidential FBI source in question.
On Wednesday morning, Trump fired off a series of tweets railing against what he has termed “Spygate.”
He suggested the “criminal deep state” was to blame for the Russia investigation and alleged surveillance, and warned “what goes around comes around.”