Chuck Ross on September 25, 2018
The House Freedom Caucus is calling on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify about allegations that he offered to spy on President Donald Trump or resign from office.
“Tonight the Freedom Caucus took an official position that Rod Rosenstein needs to come testify before the Judiciary committee within the week or he needs to resign,” reads a tweet from the conservative Republican group.
Tonight the Freedom Caucus took an official position that Rod Rosenstein needs to come testify before the Judiciary committee within the week or he needs to resign.
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) September 26, 2018
Rosenstein is set to meet on Thursday with Trump to discuss reports about memos written by Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director.
According to The New York Times, McCabe claimed in memos that Rosenstein offered to wear a wire during meetings with Trump. McCabe, who was fired for lack of candor, also asserted that Rosenstein discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
Rosenstein disputed the report, saying that he never seriously discussed deposing Trump or spying on him. Justice Department sources who were in the meetings have anonymously claimed that Rosenstein responded sarcastically to a request from McCabe to investigate Trump.
Rosenstein reportedly offered to resign because he expected Trump to fire him. But Trump’s allies counseled the president not to fire Rosenstein, especially based on claims from McCabe.
Fox News host Sean Hannity, a Trump confidant, said in a monologue on Friday that he believed the New York Times report was a setup aimed at forcing Trump to act impulsively and fire Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller investigation.
The House Freedom Caucus is packed full of close Trump allies, including North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.
