Protecting The Mueller Investigation Means Defending Rosenstein, Too

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | August 2, 2018

“It is essential that both Mueller and Rosenstein be forcefully defended at every step of the way.”

President Trump has hit the panic button.

In calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday to shut down the Mueller investigation, of which he is a subject, the President publicly acted to obstruct the criminal investigation. In tweeting a message yesterday supportive of Paul Manafort and labeling his criminal prosecution “a hoax,” the President improperly interfered with Manafort’s ongoing trial.

This is part of a pattern of increasingly erratic actions by the President, who appears to believe the Mueller investigation is closing in on him and his associates.

For many months, the Trump mantra was “no collusion.” Now the line from President Trump and his public relations attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is still that there is no collusion, but even if there is, collusion is not a crime.

This focus on “collusion” is simply an effort to confuse and distract the public.

The Mueller investigation has never used the word “collusion,” and the issue here has always been whether the President and/or his associates engaged in a conspiracy with the Russians to illegally intervene in our elections. Such a conspiracy would definitely be a crime.

We can expect more attacks on Special Counsel Mueller and Deputy AG Rosenstein. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon called today, in effect, for Rosenstein to be promptly fired. The Trump attack dogs in the House, Representatives Meadows and Jordan, are expected in September to press for passage of a meritless resolution holding Rosenstein in contempt of Congress, which, if passed, Trump could use as cover to fire Rosenstein.

It is essential that both Mueller and Rosenstein be forcefully defended at every step of the way.

The removal of Rosenstein would allow the President to place a Trump “loyalist” in Rosenstein’s position of overseeing the Mueller investigation and allow the President, through his agent, to irreparably damage the investigation.

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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections.