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Rosenstein’s fate could turn on which account Trump believes

In this July 13, 2018, file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. Rosenstein is denying a report in The New York Times that he suggested last year that he secretly record President Donald Trump in the White House to expose the chaos in the administration. Rosenstein says the story is inaccurate and factually incorrect.?

In this July 13, 2018, file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. Rosenstein is denying a report in The New York Times that he suggested last year that he secretly record President Donald Trump in the White House to expose the chaos in the administration. Rosenstein says the story is inaccurate and factually incorrect.?   | Photo Credit: AP

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The fate of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who discussed secretly recording President Donald Trump and possibly suggested removing him from office, could turn on whether Mr. Trump believes the account of an ex-FBI official who he once tweeted had “LIED! LIED! LIED!”

The revelation that the No. 2 Justice Department official had even broached those ideas, sarcastically or not, creates greater uncertainty for Rosenstein’s job status at a time when Trump has railed against law enforcement leadership as biased against him.

The President on Friday night said there was a “lingering stench” at the Justice Department that “we’re going to get rid of,” though he didn’t name names.