Mueller’s fate without the Rosenstein shield
By Kimberly Wehle, opinion contributor — 09/24/18 03:30 PM EDT
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill
The possible departure of Rod Rosenstein from the Department of Justice would be a disaster for the rule of law and democracy.
Rosenstein started Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian attacks on our elections, and he has effectively stood in the way of Mueller’s firing, which President Trump has been itching to do for months now. If Mueller were to close up shop, we’d likely see the last of the only serious probe into Russia’s well-documented assault on our democracy — an effort aimed at putting Trump in office in 2016 — compromising freedom for generations.
Since day one, Trump has possessed the power under Article II of the Constitution to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions — who famously recused himself from the Russia probe — in the hopes of putting someone in his place to stop Mueller.
After all, Rosenstein became acting attorney general for Russia precisely because Sessions recused himself. This means that without Sessions, Trump could appoint someone who would execute his agenda as the next “regular†attorney general. Presumably, the reason this hasn’t happened to date is a political one: Trump has been convinced — for now at least — that firing Sessions would hurt him on Capitol Hill, or in the polls, or both.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/408137-muellers-fate-without-the-rosenstein-shield
