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Rod Rosenstein.
- Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power, and wearing a wire to record his conversations with Trump, The New York Times reported Friday.
- Rosenstein reportedly first raised these ideas in the spring of 2017 after Trump revealed classified intelligence to Russian officials in an Oval Office meeting and fired FBI Director James Comey.
- In a statement to the Times, Rosenstein fully denied ever having considered an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment or record Trump.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump and wearing a wire to secretly record him, The New York Times reported Friday.
Rosenstein first raised the question of the 25th amendment and considered wearing a wire in the spring of 2017, The Times said, citing sources in the Department of Justice and FBI who were present in conversations with Rosenstein or were briefed on memos that former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe wrote about Rosenstein.
In spring 2017, Trump revealed classified intelligence to Russian officials in the Oval Office, and fired FBI Director James Comey following interactions in which Comey refused to pledge his loyalty to the president and declined to drop an investigation into campaign official Michael Flynn, who later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
In justifying firing Comey, Trump cited a memo Rosenstein wrote that criticized Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, reportedly leading Rosenstein to believe Trump had "used" him.
In a statement to The Times, Rosenstein thoroughly denied ever discussing plans for removing Trump, or considering wearing a wire.
"The New York Times's story is inaccurate and factually incorrect," he said. "I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda. But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment."