Bannon has advised WH to fire Rosenstein, stop cooperating with Mueller: report

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon has pitched White House aides on a plan for the Trump administration to weaken special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election interference, The Washington Post reports.

Bannon’s plan would involve President Trump firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling, sources told the Post. 

Rosenstein also recently permitted the search of the hotel room and office of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Bannon also recommends that Trump fire his personal lawyer Ty Cobb and advises the administration to stop cooperating with Mueller.

Bannon reportedly believes Trump should protect himself using executive privilege while arguing that past interviews with White House officials should be null and void, the Post reported.

“The president wasn’t fully briefed by his lawyers on the implications” of not invoking executive privilege, Bannon told the Post on Wednesday. “It was a strategic mistake to turn over everything without due process, and executive privilege should be exerted immediately and retroactively.” {mosads}

There is skepticism within the White House about Bannon’s efforts to influence the president’s decisionmaking process and there’s no indication that the president will consider his plan, though the president has toyed with similar ideas in the past.

Congressional Trump allies are working to take legislative action against Rosenstein for his disclosure of documents concerning the Russia investigation.

For Bannon, this presents an opportune time for Trump to act to transfer the Russia investigation to Congress, where Republicans hold majorities in the House and Senate.

“I have the upmost respect for Bob Mueller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but the developments over the past two weeks make it the right time to shift the center of gravity of this back to Capitol Hill,” Bannon told the Post. “Make the Republican Party own this, force them to have his back.”

Trump has reportedly been considering firing Rosenstein for approving the surveillance of his former campaign adviser Carter Page and, most recently, for approving the search on Cohen.

Bannon thinks that Trump just needs a push to fire Rosenstein, according to sources that spoke with the Post.