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You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45 / Russiagate Open Thread: Rod Rosenstein Feels Abused

Russiagate Open Thread: Rod Rosenstein Feels Abused

by Anne Laurie|  April 27, 20196:10 pm| 47 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Russiagate, Assholes, Go Fuck Yourself

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Rod Rosenstein whining and complaining on his way out the door.

Run along, dude. You wrote the memo providing Trump air cover for firing Mueller.

The only reason you weren’t a target in the obstruction probe is because you were overseeing it. https://t.co/yCLEeMXWgT

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) April 26, 2019

Welcome to the club, Rod — here’s your official membership card for the ‘Leopards Eating Peoples’ Faces’ Party. Charles P. Pierce, at Esquire:

Right at the bell on Friday, the Washington Post provided the definitive answer to the question that had been plaguing the nation. To wit:

Rod Rosenstein: Inanimate Lump of Play-Doh or Careerist Poltroon?

(Pro Tip: Both.)

It is impossible to come out of a newspaper story worse than Rosenstein does here. He is now marked as some weird hybrid of L. Patrick Gray and Uriah Heep, with a dollop of Ottoman eunuch in there somewhere. Gaze in awe…

The Washington Post, under a ‘National Security’ subhed: “‘I can land the plane’: How Rosenstein tried to mollify Trump, protect Mueller and save his job”:

Rod J. Rosenstein, again, was in danger of losing his job. The New York Times had just reported that — in the heated days after James B. Comey was fired as FBI director — the deputy attorney general had suggested wearing a wire to surreptitiously record President Trump. Now Trump, traveling in New York, was on the phone, eager for an explanation.

Rosenstein — who, by one account, had gotten teary-eyed just before the call in a meeting with Trump’s chief of staff — sought to defuse the volatile situation and assure the president he was on his team, according to people familiar with matter. He criticized the Times report, published in late September, and blamed it on former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, whose recollections formed its basis. Then he talked about special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and told the president he would make sure Trump was treated fairly, people familiar with the conversation said.

“I give the investigation credibility,” Rosenstein said, according to an administration official with knowledge of what was said during the call. “I can land the plane.”…

Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel after Comey’s firing, is no stranger to political blows — from the right, from the left and from the man who nominated him for the job. At the end of Mueller’s probe, though, Rosenstein might have been able to avoid some punches, since the ultimate decisions would be up to Attorney General William P. Barr.

Instead, he leaned in.

In rare public comments in recent weeks, Rosenstein has lauded Barr to Time magazine and derided as “bizarre” allegations that Barr was trying to mislead the public about Mueller’s work by glossing over the most serious findings about Trump’s behavior, as Democrats have argued….

The big picture on Rod is extremely complicated. He played a thoroughly dishonorable role in the Comey firing. He then appointed Mueller. He protected Mueller from Congress. He also played both sides of the fence with respect to Trump. He gave far too much information to Congress

— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) April 26, 2019

Do I admire him? Not a bit.
Do I think his tenure has been touched by anything like principle? Nope.
Do I think he made an important contribution? Yes.
Has he achieved any kind of redemption? Not my department.

— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) April 26, 2019

Rod Rosenstein's infamous memo that gave Trump cover for firing Comey looks even more suspicious today than it did at the time (and it looked pretty damn suspicious at the time). https://t.co/crdD4a8VZS

— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) April 26, 2019

#RodRosenstein was never the same when he got off that plane. trump probably threatened to throw him out at 30,000 feet.

Rosenstein to travel with Trump on Air Force One | TheHill https://t.co/lcHyRfNlEj

— Trump Negotiated With Hostage Takers (@EthanObama) April 26, 2019

Subpoena Rosenstein to testify before Congress. Now. https://t.co/KTaNp9jKtE

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) April 26, 2019

Friends, there is a LOT to read here. Rosenstein airs grievances about the investigation and atmosphere he inherited, for starters. Thread. https://t.co/7ZmufgAIDm

— Carrie Johnson (@johnson_carrie) April 26, 2019

Of the Russia probe, Rosenstein says,”I did pledge to do it right and take it to the appropriate conclusion. I did not promise to report all results to the public, because grand jury investigations are ex parte proceedings. It is not our job to render conclusive factual findings”

— Carrie Johnson (@johnson_carrie) April 26, 2019

And, this: “Lawyers cannot prove our case in court, then what we believe is irrelevant. But in politics, belief is the whole ball game. In politics – as in journalism – the rules of evidence do not apply. That is not a critique. It is just an observation.”

— Carrie Johnson (@johnson_carrie) April 26, 2019

Rob Rosenstein is getting a hasty lesson in why his whiny flounce last night wasn’t a great idea.

Crap on the institutions you’re leaving behind, expect the people in them to get chatty about your blemishes.

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) April 26, 2019

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Reader Interactions

47Comments

  1. 1.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    April 27, 2019 at 6:18 pm

    I did not promise to report all results to the public, because grand jury investigations are ex parte proceedings. It is not our job to render conclusive factual findings”

    Congress isn’t the public, numb nuts.

    “Some of the nonsense that passes for breaking news today would not be worth the paper was printed on, if anybody bothered to print it….The principles are what abide.”

    Everything he did was to protect his career yet he still still tries to pretend he’s some shining white knight.

  2. 2.

    hells littlest angel

    April 27, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    “There is no simple assessment of his performance.”

    I would say that “it took somewhat longer than usual for contact with Trump to turn him into shit” about covers it.

  3. 3.

    Plato

    April 27, 2019 at 6:21 pm

    Rosenstein's the kind of guy who talks out of both sides of his mouth and each side is still selling you bullshit https://t.co/hIpxjPr6Se— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) April 26, 2019

  4. 4.

    Immanentize

    April 27, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    Crap on the institutions you’re leaving behind, expect the people in them to get chatty about your blemishes.

    Let the acne patrol start talkin’.

  5. 5.

    Melusine

    April 27, 2019 at 6:23 pm

    Cowards like Rosenstein are the reason Trump thinks pussies are okay with being manhandled.

    Jerk is making Comey look better in comparison. He must have really pissed off some of his fellow DOJ employees by standing behind Barr.

  6. 6.

    Immanentize

    April 27, 2019 at 6:27 pm

    @Melusine:

    standing behind Barr.

    You’re the gray gray man whose daughter licks policemen’s buttons clean.
    You’re the man who squats behind the man that works the soft machine.

    — Mick J.

  7. 7.

    oatler.

    April 27, 2019 at 6:34 pm

    @Immanentize: Love it! What song please?

  8. 8.

    jl

    April 27, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    I don’t have time to follow this story closely, and since Rosenstein is out of the political and power picture, lower priority for reading up on it.
    But, from what I can tell, if Comey is deluded that he is the Last Righteous Man, maybe Rosenstein is deluded that he is not the Last Self-Righteous Dipshit?

    Edit: perhaps in some very important ways a useful and needed dipshit for a functioning DOG, but a dipshit nevertheless.

  9. 9.

    Suzanne

    April 27, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    Man, Trump is doing a bang-up job of draining the swamp.

  10. 10.

    debbie

    April 27, 2019 at 6:41 pm

    @Immanentize:

    Well, now I’ll be hearing that guitar in my head all night!

  11. 11.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    April 27, 2019 at 6:42 pm

    @Suzanne:

    Are you implying he doesn’t hire the best people and Infrastructure Eternity isn’t going to make all infrastructure projects across the country be instantly completed on time and under budget? Heresy! /s

  12. 12.

    debbie

    April 27, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    @oatler.:

    In case he has wandered off:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tAPgDs30eq8

  13. 13.

    Emerald

    April 27, 2019 at 6:51 pm

    What worries me about Rosenstein is this: Mueller did not pursue either financial or counterintelligence investigations. Is that because Rosenstein wouldn’t let him?

    Enquiring minds, and all that.

  14. 14.

    zhena gogolia

    April 27, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    Rosenstein’s face during the Barr press conference is one of the most bizarre and disturbing things I’ve ever seen.

  15. 15.

    Another Scott

    April 27, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    As I read Rosenstein’s memo on Comey’s behavior, it seemed exactly right. But, it smelled to high heaven coming from the “lock her up” administration.

    And what about that 2nd, kinda secret, letter that set the parameters for Mueller’s investigation?

    There’s a lot going on with Rosenstein. He needs to testify to the House, under oath.

    Cheers,
    Scott

  16. 16.

    Emma

    April 27, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    @Emerald: No. Mueller’s remit was very specific. It did not include pursuing Trump’s finances; when he ran into something he passed it on to the states, which is why New York is hammering Trump’s bank connections. It did not include counterintelligence, although it is obvious either from the redacted report that he and his team understood the implications. Unlike Mr. Starr, he stuck to his last.

  17. 17.

    Immanentize

    April 27, 2019 at 6:58 pm

    @oatler.: @debbie:
    Thanks Debbie. Yes, “Memo from Turner.”. What a damn fine song. The guitar is Ry Cooder! playing his bottle neck style. So great.

  18. 18.

    ixnay

    April 27, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    @oatler.: Memo from Turner. Stones w/Ry Cooder.

  19. 19.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    One cannot be both a high-level Trump staffer and a good person.

  20. 20.

    Gvg

    April 27, 2019 at 7:08 pm

    He picked and appointed Mueller, and protected the investigation for 2 years. I don’t understand what he is doing NOW?

  21. 21.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    April 27, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    ? QFT. They’re all there to advance their own careers and agendas. They’re all using Trump. If, for example, McConnell could drop Trump without political consequences or better yet would benefit the GOP, he would in a heart beat.

  22. 22.

    James E Powell

    April 27, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    The thing is – and I find this very odd and probably significant in ways that I am too dense to understand – I don’t think the press/media have applied the -gate suffix to any of the 20 or 30 scandals of the Trump Era.

  23. 23.

    Anya

    April 27, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    After Rosenstein’s shameful embracing of Barr, David Frum said something interesting about how Trump can sense someone’s weakness and how he’s able to get them to humiliate themselves. Trump might be a failure at most things but he knows how to corrupt the soul of the weak.

  24. 24.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    April 27, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    @James E Powell:

    Actually, I could’ve sworn I’ve heard Russiagate, but on the whole, you’re correct, I think. Probably trying to be avoid being attacked by the right (more than usual). Perhaps the parallels between Nixon and Trump are so obvious to them that they think attaching -gate to one or more of his scandals would be cliche?

  25. 25.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:

    QFT

    But… you didn’t Q…

  26. 26.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    April 27, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Oh yeah ^^’, you’re right. I probably should’ve wrote “QED”.

  27. 27.

    NotMax

    April 27, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    @James E Powell

    It’s always been sloppy nomenclature. Have intermittently wondered how many young’uns think the crux of Watergate had something important to do with water.

  28. 28.

    Ruckus

    April 27, 2019 at 7:23 pm

    @James E Powell:
    They can’t be all gates. Some is fence.

    @Anya:
    Trump plays them for his benefit. Always has. People for some reason give him stature, most likely the amount of money that he used to tell people he had. It wasn’t in the Bezos range by any stretch but it wasn’t an insignificant amount. Republicans like power, even bad power. They don’t care how someone got there but they have a level of respect for it, even if it’s bullshit. And Trump was bullshitting. And it worked. In reality he’s a negative two bit hustler. It may be that republicans actually respect two bit hustlers because they wish they could be that good.

  29. 29.

    khead

    April 27, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    @Melusine:

    Cowards like Rosenstein are the reason Trump thinks pussies are okay with being manhandled.

    Why shouldn’t Trump think that? Trump keeps manhandling them. You can’t appease him.

    Here’s a good comment from LG&M from a few days ago.

  30. 30.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    April 27, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    @Emma: It’s my understanding that there was a large counterintelligence aspect to Mueller’s investigation (though this may simply be due to the nature of the subject rather than an explicit remit of the investigation) and that this specific aspect may not even have wrapped up yet (given how little Mueller and his team talk to the public or the press – not at all until Barr’s misleading “summary” – there’s a fair amount of uncertainty on this point). The special counsel regulations evidently require a second report on this subject to be submitted directly to Congress (so, in other words, Barr can’t fuck with it). I’m sure we’ll find out a lot more when Mueller testifies to Congress next month.

  31. 31.

    debbie

    April 27, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    @Immanentize:

    I wish the movie had been half as good as that song.

  32. 32.

    laura

    April 27, 2019 at 7:53 pm

    The strategic forgetery is what galls me the most. To blame Obama when McConnell said that any release of information about the Russian interference in the 2016 election would be called out and framed as democratic interference in favor of Hillary, and to lie by ommission, well, that takes some brass.
    He can choke on a bag of salted dicks as far as I’m concerned.

  33. 33.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    April 27, 2019 at 8:00 pm

    @laura: Only Democrats have agency, don’tcha know. Also, too, IOKIYAR.

  34. 34.

    Emma

    April 27, 2019 at 8:00 pm

    @(((CassandraLeo))): well, those fireworks you hear is me celebrating. If so, Mueller still has a lot of firepower under cover.

  35. 35.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 27, 2019 at 8:06 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Also – One cannot be both a high-level Trump staffer and not get dragged to Hell when the Devil wants his due.

  36. 36.

    sukabi

    April 27, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    It’s my understanding that Mueller and his team prepared section summaries for public consumption. What weve seen so far are Barr’s 4 page deception and the redacted report. Where are the summaries Mueller’s team produced?

  37. 37.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 27, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    Who pays for this shit?

    Katie Rogers @ katierogers
    At the Trump rally in Green Bay Wisconsin, Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba” is playing on the jumbotron. It shows Trump as a WWE character body-slamming a CNN logo. The crowd got very excited.
    That’s how this #WHCD night is gonna go out here in Wisco.

    attyglesias
    Matthew Yglesias Retweeted Katie Rogers
    The extent to which Trump fans conceptualize the old, pudgy, golf-loving president as a physically intimidating person is kind of fascinating to me.

  38. 38.

    khead

    April 27, 2019 at 8:20 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Matt has it a bit wrong. It’s not physically intimidating. It’s Internet intimidating.

  39. 39.

    Jay

    April 27, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    @sukabi:

    The Meuller Executive Summaries start the Barr Redacted Meuller Report and each “chapter”,

  40. 40.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    April 27, 2019 at 9:10 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    The extent to which Trump fans conceptualize the old, pudgy, golf-loving president as a physically intimidating person is kind of fascinating to me.

    Most of his fans are old out of shape white folks. But you do get the impression that these are the kind of people who are managers who think that their staff sitting quietly at the meeting is because the manager speech is out of the park, not his staff trying to be seen laughing at the nonsense he saying or sleeping with their eyes open.

  41. 41.

    Ken

    April 27, 2019 at 9:19 pm

    @Anya:

    Trump might be a failure at most things but he knows how to corrupt the soul of the weak.

    So now he’s Satan? Works for me…

  42. 42.

    Ken

    April 27, 2019 at 9:23 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Trump fans conceptualize the old, pudgy, golf-loving president as a physically intimidating person

    To a man in a scooter with an extra compartment for his oxygen tank, someone who can still play golf (albeit using his own scooter) may be physically impressive.

  43. 43.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    April 27, 2019 at 9:24 pm

    @Ken: this strikes me as monstrously unfair to Satan, who at the least has got to have way more cool songs praising him.

  44. 44.

    sukabi

    April 27, 2019 at 9:42 pm

    @Jay: find it interesting that the media folks haven’t pulled them out and compared to Barr’s mischaracterized summary.

  45. 45.

    Karen

    April 27, 2019 at 9:53 pm

    Was Rosenstein a double agent? On one hand the GOP hated him so much that they subpoenaed him and his files. On the other he’s palsy-walsy with Barr and besties with Trump. Death by firing squad?

  46. 46.

    Karen

    April 27, 2019 at 9:54 pm

    @(((CassandraLeo))): Satan’s brother?

  47. 47.

    Jinchi

    April 28, 2019 at 12:25 pm

    @Anya:

    Trump can sense someone’s weakness and how he’s able to get them to humiliate themselves.

    Let’s not oversell Trump’s brilliance here. Trump has been able to humiliate people less powerful than he is. People he employs. People he hires. People who don’t have the financial means to stand against his team of lawyers and cronies. His wealth has given him the ability to sue some people into submission and to send goons to threaten others. Rosenstein, for all his faults, is at the mercy of a man who could fire him at a whim. He had to choose between fruitlessly opposing Trump or ending a decades long career.

    I’m not defending Rosenstein here, but if you’ve ever worked for an asshole boss you know exactly the source of Trump’s ability to “get people to humiliate themselves”.

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