As the fate of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein hung in the balance Monday, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said that firing the official overseeing the Special Counsel investigation into President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign would be “a bad mistake.”
“It would be very, very damaging — both to the president and to the Republican Party because it would scream of cover-up,” said Leahy, the senior-most member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Leahy made the remarks near the end of a day of furious speculation over whether Rosenstein would offer his resignation or Trump would fire him. His status has been uncertain since Friday, when the New York Times reported that Rosenstein had suggested in the spring of 2017 that he wear a wire to record the president and seek Trump’s removal from office by invoking the 25th Amendment. The White House said Monday afternoon that Rosenstein remained at the Department of Justice, but that he was scheduled to meet with the president on Thursday.
According to Leahy, firing Rosenstein could effectively end Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election because Rosenstein would be replaced as acting attorney general overseeing the inquiry by Solicitor General Noel Francisco, whom Leahy referred to as “a Trump acolyte.”
Still, Leahy said he was not sure that such a firing would constitute an impeachable offense, a position that U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) has taken.
“I don’t know,” Leahy said. “By itself? I don’t know. It would depend upon where Mueller was in his investigation. It’d have to be a demonstration of obstruction of justice. I’m trying to think of it as a lawyer and a prosecutor, and I don’t know the answer to that.”
Leahy also responded Monday to a new allegation, reported Sunday by the New Yorker, that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to a woman at a college party and forced her to touch his genitals. Kavanaugh has said that the events described by classmate Deborah Ramirez did not take place.
Asked whether he believed Ramirez’s account, Leahy said, “I don’t know, but I do know this: It just strengthens what I’ve been saying. Take the time to turn this over to independent investigators who are trained in this field.”
Leahy has said the same since last week when another woman, Christine Blasey Ford, alleged that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a drunken party when both were in high school — a claim the federal judge also denies.
The Vermonter criticized his Republican colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee for what he characterized as an unwillingness to fully investigate the allegations before voting on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. “Every new allegation that comes out, the only response from the Republicans is, ‘We gotta hurry up and have a vote on him,'” Leahy said. The committee is scheduled to take testimony from Kavanaugh and Ford on Thursday and is expected to hold a vote shortly thereafter.
Leahy would not say whether Kavanaugh should withdraw from consideration for the post.
“That’s a decision only he can make,” the senator said. “A lot of Republicans wish he would, but that’s a decision only he can make.”
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Leahy has tired of pretending he has an independent mind. He now sounds like a softer gentler version of Dianne Feinstein.
I’m enjoying watching the dominoes fall
Leahy must be as dense as a rock if he doesn’t understand by now that there is no gutter too deep for the Republicans not to dive in to in order for them to maintain their power.
There will be no “Constitutional Crisis” if the Mueller report shows that Trump has committed any crimes as the Congressional GOP has shown itself to be void of ethics or morals or any common decency, much less any spine in being a check on Presidential power. The GOP will sit on its hands if Trump should shut down the Mueller investigation.
This is the total Corporate Capture of the government by some of the worst people on the planet. Trump’s real slogan is “Make America Bleed to Death”.
this message brought to you by American Cannibals for Koch Brothers’ Prosperity . . .have a nice day. 🙂
Those old republican men have a closed mind and need to be replaced and voted out of office. They are determined to nominate kavanaugh no matter what it takes. What is the hurry other than they know they are going to lose the election and this is their last chance
Mr Leahy, turn in your resignation papers, your too old for your job, you are getting senile. You democrats have a blind eye, Rosenstein made the remarks about secretly recording Mr. Trump and about the 25th Amendment which is against the law, but you approve of that. You all wanted Comey fired, you democrats hated him except
for Clinton because he said before the investigations that they won’t find anything.. When Pres Trump did fire him you all were in an uproar. Both Comey and Rosenstein both committed treason, they both lied. They are both crooks. Why don’t you stand up for all the people instead of the liberal elites? All you politicians need to remember YOU WORK FOR THE CITIZENS we don’t work for you WE ARE YOUR BOSS!!! You have been in TOO LONG…. I don’t understand why you democrats always stand by liars, would you all ever stand up for an honest person??? Leahy, Sanders, and Welch have had their pockets lined plenty of times..
What planet are these unhenged comments coming from? Leahy is deep state, and they are all being taken down. We are a nation fighting against globalist left wing communists. The arrests of Obama, Hillary, McCabe, Comey, Rosentein, and a whole lot more are soon to happen. Tired old guard guys that continue to profit from this corrupt deep state are in trouble. 51,000 sealed indictments, last count reported. No to liberals, no to Progressives, no ti Rinos. Trump supporters MAGA. #RedWaveVT.
“According to Leahy, firing Rosenstein could effectively end Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election because Rosenstein would be replaced as acting attorney general overseeing the inquiry by Solicitor General Noel Francisco, whom Leahy referred to as “a Trump acolyte.” “
According to this old crooked has-been, it’s OK that Mueller and his band of witch-hunters in their investigations looking for a crime be acolytes of hillary, obama and the rest of the crooked deep state but threatens President Trump if there is even some speculation that he might fire someone who really should be fired. Time is up! Clean house, fire Rosenstein and vote Kavanaugh in now! Let the chips fall where they may and let the liberals cry bloody murder in the streets. They lost…
Kudos to Senator Leahy for having the personal integrity to stand up to the Republican elite in Washington and declare that Rosenstein’s resignation “Would scream of Cover-Up”.
One fantasizes of our revered and elderly statesman returning triumphantly home to Vermont and displaying such fierce moral courage, by declaring that Democrat legacy T.J. Donovan’s illegal and partisan withholding of 1.5 million pages in the Jay Peak EB-5 scandal “Would Scream of Cover-Up”.
Or that VT’s Senior Bequeather of Federal Pork would declare that the rigged selection process and fudged numbers for basing F-35s in South Burlington “Would Scream of Cover Up”.
Ahhhhh ….. regardless of one’s political proclivities, the importance of maintaining a rich, yet delusional, fantasy life cannot be overestimated in these troubled times!