Watergate's John Dean outlines the 'legal problems' that will arise if Trump fires Rosenstein — and how they'd differ from resignation

John Dean, the former White House counsel for President Richard Nixon, explained to CNN's Brooke Baldwin Monday exactly why Donald Trump's problems are just getting started.

To start, Dean noted that Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the next-in-line at the Justice Department who would take over if Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is fired or resigns, likely has conflicts of interest.

It's possible that Francisco may have "conflicts of interest given the law firm he was with represented Trump during the campaign," the former White House counsel said.

"So he might say, 'I can't take this on because of conflicts,'" Dean added. 

Baldwin then asked the veteran attorney what would be next legally if Rosenstein is ousted from the DOJ.

"What comes into play is the Vacancies Act and who steps in next," Dean said, referring to 1998's Federal Vacancies Reform Act that outlines the way a person can be instated in a role when their superior resigns. "If he resigns then the Vacancies Act comes in. If he's fired, it creates a whole different set of legal problems."

Watch below, via CNN: