Judicial Watch on Wednesday released 145 pages of former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s communications which include a one-line email from Rosenstein to Robert Mueller stating “The boss and his staff do not know about our discussions.” That email came just five days before Rosenstein appointed Mueller to take over the FBI’s Russia investigation as special counsel, roiling Trump’s presidency.
The communications—which include “off the record” emails with major media outlets around the date of Mueller’s appointment—show that Rosenstein did not just dispassionately go along with the fraudulent probe in an attempt to get at the truth, but was an active participant in the deep state coup, secretly plotting with other FBI and DOJ officials against the president of the United States.
In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request last Fall, Judicial Watch sought e-mails, text messages, and other records of communication addressed to or received by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein between May 8, 2017, and May 22, 2017.
The time period referred to in this suit is critical. On May 8, 2017, Rosenstein wrote a memo to President Trump recommending that FBI Director James Comey be fired. The next day, President Trump fired Comey. Just three days later, on May 12, Rosenstein sent an email assuring Robert Mueller that “The boss and his staff do not know about our discussions.”
In a May 16, 2017 email, sent the day before Mueller’s appointment, Rosenstein emailed former Bush administration Deputy Attorney General and current Kirkland & Ellis Partner, Mark Filip stating, “I am with Mueller. He shares my views. Duty Calls. Sometimes the moment chooses us.”
And on May 17 Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
During the same time period, between May 8 and May 17, according to then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Rosenstein met with McCabe and other senior Justice Department and FBI officials to discuss wearing a wire into the oval office to spy on Trump, as well as invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president.
When McCabe’s claim was made public, Rosenstein denied the charge, saying that he was only joking about wearing a wire. However, McCabe’s notes about the meeting (also released by Judicial Watch), tell a different story: “The DAG proposed that he could potentially wear a recording device into the Oval Office to collect additional evidence on the President’s true intentions,” McCabe wrote. “He said he thought this might be possible because he was not searched when he entered the White House. I told him that I would discuss the opportunity with my investigative team and get back to him.”
Until now, it was difficult to determine which deep state official was telling the truth, especially because Rosenstein left office on good terms with Trump. However, the documents released by Judicial Watch Wednesday strongly suggest that he felt no loyalty toward the president and in fact, felt duty-bound to defy him.
The documents released by Judicial Watch also show that Rosenstein had a cozy relationship with reporters from the anti-Trump news outlets 60 Minutes, New York Times and Washington Post.
In May 2017, Rosenstein exchanged emails with New York Times reporter Rebecca Ruiz to provide background for an article about himself. Ruiz gave Rosenstein an opportunity to read a draft of the article prior to publication so he could add “off-the-record comments and clarifications.”
On the day of Mueller’s appointment, Rosenstein exchanged emails with 60 Minutes producer Katherine Davis, providing off-the-record questions insight regarding Mueller’s scope of authority and chain of command.
Rosenstein: “Off the record: This special counsel is a DOJ employee. His status is similar to a US Attorney.”
Davis: “Good call on Mueller. Although I obviously thought you’d be great at leading the investigation too.”
That same day, on May 17, 2017, Rosenstein exchanged emails with Washington Post reporter Sari Horwitz under subject line “Special Counsel.”
Said Rosenstein: “At some point, I owe you a long story. But this is not the right time for me to talk to anybody.”
Horwitz replied: “Now, I see why you couldn’t talk today! Obviously, we’re writing a big story about this. Is there any chance I could talk to you on background about your decision?”
In a statement, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said that the “astonishing emails further confirm the dishonest corruption behind Rosenstein’s appointment of Robert Mueller.” He added: “The emails also show a shockingly cozy relationship between Mr. Rosenstein and anti-Trump media reporters.”
Fitton told conservative radio talk show host Lars Larson Wednesday, “You have the coup discussions that are outlined in these documents, so no wonder the deep staters would rather talk about the Ukraine canard than the coup that was taking place here in Washington.”