WaPost Claims Rosenstein Threatened to Quit After Comey Backlash

After the FBI Director James Comey was fired, the Trump administration mentioned that the recommendation to terminate him was made by several advisors.

Allegedly, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein advocated for Comey’s removal.  

“When (Rosenstein) brought the recommendation to the president that the director of the FBI should be removed, President Trump provided the strong and decisive leadership the American people have come to be accustomed from him,” said Mike Pence, the U.S. president on Wednesday.

Although Rosenstein wrote a scathing review of the FBI director’s recent performance, he did not explicitly say Comey should be fired.  

“Although the president has the power to remove an FBI director, the decision should not be taken lightly,” wrote Rosenstein. “The way the Director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong. As a result, the FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a Director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them. Having refused to admit his errors, the Director cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions.” 

Now The Washington Post is reporting that the White House made the decision to fire Comey before Rosenstein’s letter and then the deputy attorney general threatened to quit after feeling as though he was the scapegoat.

President Trump has been criticized for the decision. Some said it seemed rushed and suspiciously related to the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s alleged connection to Russia.  

However, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the president’s move to can Comey. Apparently, Trump wanted to fire him early on but was giving him a chance to prove himself.

Trump had finally decided it was time to let Comey go over the weekend. 

“Back at work Monday morning in Washington, Trump told Vice President Pence and several senior aides — Reince Priebus, Stephen K. Bannon and Donald McGahn, among others — that he was ready to move on Comey. First, though, he wanted to talk with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his trusted confidant, and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, to whom Comey reported directly. Trump summoned the two of them to the White House for a meeting, according to a person close to the White House,” writes The Washington Post. “The president already had decided to fire Comey, according to this person. But in the meeting, several White House officials said Trump gave Sessions and Rosenstein a directive: to explain in writing the case against Comey.”

The Washington Post reported that Rosenstein didn’t appreciate the narrative claiming his recommendation led to Comey’s termination.

But, Trump made it clear that Comey’s firing was well deserved.

“He wasn’t doing a good job,” said Trump to reporters Wednesday. “Very simple. He wasn’t doing a good job.”

Editor’s note: Trump did not need a reason to fire Comey, he should have done it earlier. Not sure why Trump cited Rosenstein, or why he is still talking about it.

Of course, lately the Washington Post has not been the most reliable of sources.