Deputy AG discussed invoking 25th Amendment to remove Trump: Report

Allies of President Donald Trump are calling for the dismissal of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein over reports that he discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president.

The bombshell story by The New York Times ignited a political firestorm Friday afternoon, prompting calls from conservatives for Trump to fire America’s second most senior law enforcement official.

The report, citing anonymous sources, also said that Rosenstein had proposed wearing a wire to secretly record conversations with the president in the Oval Office.

Rosenstein reportedly made the comments to other Justice Department officials after the president fired FBI Director James Comey in May of 2017.

Some media outlets speculated that the sources of the allegations were memos created by former FBI acting director Andrew McCabe, who was fired by the Justice Department earlier this year.

The Times report was met with an unusual welcome by Trump supporters, with a number of congressional Republicans pointing to the article as a rationale to fire Rosenstein.

The calls for Rosenstein's dismissal intensify as special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election has picked up speed, resulting in several indictments, guilty pleas or cooperation agreements.

Rosenstein was given charge of Mueller's investigation after his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, recused himself because he served as an adviser to the Trump campaign.

Rosenstein and Sessions have drawn sharp criticisms from Trump for their handling of the Russia probe, which the president has frequently blasted as a political "witch hunt" against him.

Rosenstein denies the claims

The deputy attorney general issued a statement rejecting the story by the Times as “inaccurate and factually incorrect.”

"I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda,” he said.

"But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th amendment."

Trump vows to get rid of ‘stench’

President Trump responded to the developments at a campaign rally in Missouri by promising to get rid of the "stench" at the FBI and the Justice Department.

"Look what's being exposed at the Department of Justice and the FBI," Trump told the crowd on Friday evening. "You have some real bad ones. You see what's happening at the FBI — they’re all gone, they’re all gone.”

"But there’s a lingering stench and we’re going to get rid of that too," Trump added.

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