UPDATE 1-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein resigns -Axios
- Country:
- United States
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election, has verbally resigned in anticipation of being fired by President Donald Trump, Axios news site reported.
Rosenstein, the No. 2 Justice Department official, verbally resigned to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, the report said, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the matter.
A second source told Axios that Rosenstein is "expecting to be fired” so he plans to step down.
There was widespread speculation that Trump would fire Rosenstein after a New York Times report on Friday said in 2017 he had suggested secretly recording Trump and recruiting Cabinet members to invoke a constitutional amendment to remove him from the office.
The Times said none of those proposals came to fruition. Rosenstein denied the report as "inaccurate and factually incorrect."
MSBNC and CNN reported Rosenstein was summoned for a meeting at the White House on Monday.
Rosenstein assumed the role in the Russia investigation after his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, recused himself after his own contacts with Russia's ambassador to Washington while serving as a Trump campaign adviser became public.
Trump has regularly dismissed the investigation as a "witch hunt."
ALSO READ
Nearly 66K Indians took oath of American citizenship in 2022: CRS report
Europe is the fastest-warming continent, at nearly twice the average global rate, report says
FACTBOX-Stormy Daniels and other key witnesses at the Trump hush money trial
Nearly 66K Indians officially became American citizens in 2022: CRS report
Key provisions of CAA may violate certain Articles of the Indian Constitution: Congressional report