WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Monday he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, delivering a reprieve for the Justice Department official whose future has been the source of intense speculation for two weeks.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he had “a very good relationship” with Rosenstein and was eager to speak with him aboard Air Force One on a flight to Florida for the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. They did talk, for about 30 minutes, but not alone, a spokesman said later.
The flight provided an opportunity for their most extensive conversation since news reports last month that Rosenstein had discussed the possibilities in early 2017 of secretly recording Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to get him removed from office.
Those reports triggered an avalanche of speculation about the future of Rosenstein – and also the special counsel’s investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign since the deputy attorney general appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to his post and closely oversees his work.
“I didn’t know Rod before, but I’ve gotten to know him,” Trump said at the White House. “I look forward to flying with him. It’ll be very nice.”