WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump said he'd like to keep Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general, amid signs that Rosenstein is now inclined to stay in his job, which includes overseeing Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
"My preference would be to keep him and let him finish up," Trump said at a news conference in New York on Wednesday.
It will all come down to a face-to-face meeting between the two at the White House, although Trump said he may delay the session that was originally scheduled for Thursday because he didn't want it "hurting and competing" with the day's hearing on Brett Kavanaugh, his Supreme Court nominee.
The future of the No. 2 official at the Justice Department was thrown into doubt Friday with a report in The New York Times that Rosenstein had suggested to colleagues last year that he could secretly record conversations with the president and also discussed invoking the 25th Amendment that allows for removing a president who's unfit.
Trump said Rosenstein assured him in a phone conversation that "he never said it. We'll see."
The president would have reason to keep him in the job, as Trump's top political advisers are underscoring the political risks if Rosenstein is fired before November's congressional elections, a White House aide said.
Over the weekend, Rosenstein resigned verbally to White House chief of staff John Kelly, who accepted the offer, but after his phone call with Trump on Monday, Rosenstein decided to stay on. He's now inclined to remain in the position, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the Trump-Rosenstein meeting.
White House advisers worry that Democrats could be further energized if it appeared Trump was forcing out Rosenstein in an effort to obstruct Mueller's continuing investigation into Russia's election interference, the aide said. A successor to Rosenstein could end or limit Mueller's inquiry.
It wasn't clear whether Trump will place any demands on Rosenstein at their meeting, such as asking him to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller's probe, a person familiar with the matter said. Rosenstein isn't likely to agree to such a demand, increasing the risk that he'd resign, the person said.
The reports on Rosenstein's discussion with colleagues last year about covertly taping the president set off a firestorm in Washington, but the details remain in dispute. A person present at that meeting said he was joking, but the Times, which first reported the incident Friday, cited secondhand accounts indicating that Rosenstein was serious.
Rosenstein disputed the account. "I never pursued or authorized recording the president and any suggestion that I have ever advocated for the removal of the president is absolutely false," Rosenstein said in a statement on Friday.
Trump's allies also have warned on Twitter and cable news that firing Rosenstein could interfere in the already tumultuous effort to win Kavanaugh's confirmation. Fox News host Sean Hannity delivered a "message to the president" on his show Friday that firing Rosenstein would play into Democratic hands. He framed the reports about Rosenstein as a "set-up."
Since the beginning of the Russia investigation, Trump's legal advisers have privately raised questions about Rosenstein's oversight of the probe, suggesting he had a conflict because he was involved in Trump's decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey. Mueller has been investigating whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey, as well as through other actions.
If Rosenstein stays on, he would likely face new scrutiny from House Republicans, who have accused him of withholding documents related to the Russia probe that they've sought.
Rep. Mark Meadows, who chairs the Oversight subcommittee on government reform, said he wants Congress to bring Rosenstein in for testimony again.
"He needs to come in the next week, or resign," Meadows said. If neither happens, Meadows said he has "plenty of tools in my toolbox."
