Rosenstein To Meet With House Republicans On Oct. 11

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will meet with House lawmakers on Oct. 11, according to two sources familiar with the plan.

The interview, organized by the Republican-led Judiciary and Oversight Committees, follows intense pressure from President Donald Trump's top House allies to question Rosenstein about recent reports that he proposed secretly recording Trump early last year. And it comes as Trump weighs whether to fire Rosenstein.

The precise format of the meeting remains unclear. Some House Republicans have insisted that Rosenstein sit for a transcribed interview that would be treated as an element of the panel's broader, long-running investigation into the Justice Department and FBI. But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, who invited Rosenstein to brief lawmakers, has not indicated whether he might allow Rosenstein to appear in a less-formal context to simply brief lawmakers on his response to the reports. His office declined to comment on the plan.

Regardless of the format, the Oct. 11 meeting brings high stakes for Rosenstein, who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and oversees his investigation. Trump has railed against the Mueller probe of his campaign's contacts with Russia, calling it a "witch hunt," and Democrats view the drama around Rosenstein's future as a means of exerting influence over Mueller's investigation.

Lawmakers say Rosenstein's visit will be connected to their long-running probe into politically explosive Justice Department and FBI actions in 2016 and 2017, which include federal investigations into Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server as well as the Trump campaign's ties to Russian operatives.

Democrats call the inquiry a politically motivated attempt to protect Trump Mueller's sprawling investigation. Rosenstein appointed Mueller eight days after Comey's firing and continues to oversee his probe. Trump's top House allies have denounced Rosenstein for slow-walking their requests for documents that they say could provide insight into the Russia probe, and for signing off on an application to surveil a former Trump campaign aide, Carter Page.

Because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from oversight of the Russia probe, Rosenstein serves as Mueller's boss, and must approve the special counsel's charging decisions, budget and other major actions.

A late September New York Times report that, days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in April 2017, Rosenstein sought to record Trump — and even suggested invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office — sent Trump's allies into a furor. Rosenstein has denied both, and his supporters say he was being sarcastic.

Trump, of late, has publicly professed restraint, suggesting he wants to meet with Rosenstein as soon as this week to discuss the reports. Earlier expectations that Rosenstein would resign or be fired ahead of the November congressional elections have since faded -- but his longer-term fate is still in question.

The task force is manned by two powerful committee chairmen -- Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) -- as well as some of Trump's top allies in Congress: Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Democrats on the panel include Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.

Republicans running the probe have issued a flurry of high-profile interview requests in recent days, demanding testimony from Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson. All have been identified by Republicans as responsible for what they say is politically motivated attempts to supercharge the Russia probe and soft-pedal the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server — charges the officials and Democrats say are conspiracy theories driven by their own political motivations.

Republicans are also seeking testimony from former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, whose overseas interactions with suspected Russian operatives in 2016 helped trigger the FBI's Russia investigation. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI last year and was sentenced to two weeks in prison. He argues that he was entrapped by the FBI and other Western intelligence services.