Rosenstein accused by ex-federal prosecutor of running interference for Trump during Mueller investigation

On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had to both mollify an often angry Trump in order to keep his job, while protecting the Mueller probe.

Speaking with MSNBC host Phillip Mena, former federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah criticized Rosenstein for the conflict of interest inherent in his position. Asked if Rosenstein should have discussed an ongoing investigation with the president about the president, Rocah was unsparing.

"Frankly, no prosecutor or someone in charge of an investigation would or should talk about it with the subject," Rocah explained. "His informing Trump that he wasn't a target, I think he can technically explain that was true because Trump could not be indicted, so technically he was not a target. But phrases like 'I can land the plane" and 'I give credibility,'  like he was begging to keep his job basically."

"So the question is not only what did he say to Trump, but what did he then do in the rest of the course of the investigation and its wrap-up to make sure that Trump was pleased with him to keep this job he so badly apparently wanted," she continued. "And you have to be willing to walk away on principle as necessary, so we need to know now and Rosenstein now needs to testify again, as does [Robert] Mueller and as does [Attorney General Bill] Barr."

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