Rosenstein quells rumors Trump might fire special counsel

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Tuesday he’s seen no reason to fire Robert Mueller, subduing rumors President Donald Trump might dismiss the Russia probe’s special counsel. While testifying before a Senate panel on the Department of Justice’s budget request, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked Rosenstein if has seen any evidence of good cause to fire Mueller. “No, I have not,” he responded. Rosenstein added he’s confident Mueller has the full independence he needs to thoroughly investigate Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Rosenstein’s comments come amid new reports Trump might fire Mueller, effectively derailing the Russia investigation. On Monday night, Chris Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax, suggested in an interview with PBS that the president might consider “terminating” Mueller. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer quickly responded, saying Ruddy never spoke to Trump regarding Mueller and only the president and his attorneys are authorized to comment on the subject. Because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe earlier this year, Rosenstein is the only one who could fire Mueller. If Trump wanted to dismiss Mueller, he would have to fire Rosenstein and appoint someone else to carry out the request.

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