Bum Rap

​Earlier today there was a lot of speculation that Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein would be out of a job. So far, he is still there. I’m glad to hear it because he is getting a bum rap.

Rosenstein is the type of person we need in the Justice Department. He is brilliant (graduated summa cum laude from an Ivy League school and was editor of the Harvard Law Review). He is talented and bipartisan. He has been part of the last four presidential administrations. President Trump nominated him and the Senate confirmed him by a vote of 94-6.

He had barely been on the job when Trump ordered he and Jeff Sessions to produce a memo outlining the reasons why FBI Director James Comey should be fired. The decision had already been made. Trump was looking for some political cover.

Comey’s firing produced hysterical reactions. In that environment, talking to a Russian citizen was seen as proof of a criminal conspiracy. Sessions had a number of contacts with them while performing his duties as a Senator. He recused himself and the whole mess fell in Rosenstein’s lap.

He knew that someone needed to be brought in to investigate the accusations of collusion. He had known Robert Mueller for nearly thirty years. At the time Mueller had a very good reputation. In fact, it was George W. Bush who named him to head the FBI. Rosenstein couldn’t have foreseen that Mueller would have a staff almost completely made up of highly partisan Democrats and launch a witch hunt.

Many Republicans were upset when it was revealed that he signed the FISA warrant on Carter Page based on the infamous Steele dossier. He had to believe what the FBI told him. Obviously, he doesn’t have the resources to reinvestigate the case. Isn’t 20/20 hindsight wonderful?

The latest bombshell was the New York Times report that he was involved in a plan to record President Trump and start a 25th Amendment attempt to remove Trump from office. I find it interesting that those who denounce the Times believe they got it right this time. There was some kind of meeting in which Rosenstein, Andrew McCabe and Lisa Page were among the attendees. Who is more likely to conspire against the President? The man who was just hired by him or those who are neck deep in the FBI scandals? Clearly someone was out to destroy Rosenstein and the Times was happy to help them.
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There are some Republicans who are no more interested in Rosenstein being treated fair than some Democrats are with Kavanaugh. The country would be well served if those who wish to pervert justice were out of office.