persuaded or influenced to direct an investigation one way or the other. on that point, were you at all rattled, given the feelings you have about rosenstein, were you at all rattled when he okayed the release of those fbi officials personal texts, despite the fact that there s this ongoing investigation? i m not sure i d say rattled, but not knowing all the facts and circumstances, i think what the deputy attorney general rosenstein, what he wants to do is avoid the appearance of impropriety. hi i think he knew the information would be shared and wanted to get ahead of that. he wanted to assure them, it may have been a wrinkle, it was dealt with. but to avoid possibly a cover-up of untoward activity or possibly even illegal. i agree, but there s something about that troubled me. i don t think i was rattled, but i was troubled. let me tell you why. the way we view our justice system sort of turns on two
cause and conflict of interest. if he were fired beyond that, i suppose there could be some reckoning to go along with that for the person who makes the firing decision. what do you mean by that? well, i think there would be a lot of outrage if he were fired on a whim and there was no finding of misconduct. rod rosenstein said he was the one who hired him and he won t fire him except for just cause. but to answer your question, what happens to the investigation, i think it continues. it existed before robert mueller was appointed. i think it would continue. the question is, under whose jurisdiction, would a u.s. attorney pick it up, some other member of the justice department? or would there be a new special counsel hired? if the justice department hierarchy, rod rosenstein was persuaded that mueller should be fired and the whole investigation was bunk, at the person overseeing it, he could end it, if he wanted to? he can end the investigation. the deputy attorney general can
maybe? you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. all right. one last question for our dream team here. paul fishman, i start with you and ask you all the the same question. we know the president, very bright and great taste, watches a lot of cable news. on the off chance he is watching right now, i want him to benefit from your expertise, as well. if the president is watching and could give him a small piece of advice, legal or just advice, what would you tell him? lower the temperature. what does that mean? i would tell him to stop taking shots at the fbi, stop taking shots at the special counsel. it is not going to help him with the investigators and i think it s not going to help him ultimately with the public. edward. i d say that bob mueller, rod rosenstein, the reputations proceed them. uh-huh. uh-huh. barb?
order the investigation to end, order prosecutors to dismiss the case. but that s not what rod rosenstein is going to do here. if he s ordered to fire mueller and if he didn t quit before he carries out that order, he s going to have these cases, and these investigations. and it will be up to him to decide where the in department of justice they go, the eastern district of virginia in the manafort case or to new york, whether they get sent to the criminal division of the department of justice. but they re not going away just because bob mueller is not at the helm. and i don t think that this would, when you say persuaded, knowing rod rosenstein like we do, having served as a u.s. attorney for maryland, rod is someone who is unquestionably has the character, the independence to serve. he s served in two different administrations. so i m sure he cannot be persuaded. knowing rod the way i do, i think he would step down attorney general before being
archie was persuaded, he could end it. he could end the investigation. the deputy attorney general i suppose could order the investigation and prosecutors to dismiss a case but i don t think that s not what rod rosenstein is going to do if ordered to fire muller and if he doesn t quit before he carries out that order, he ll have cases and investigations and up to him to decide where they go and whether they get sent to chuck s office in the manafort case or to new york to the southern district or eastern district of new york whether they get sent to the criminal division but they won t go away because bob muller is not at the helm. i don t think, dean maddow, knowing rod rosenstein like we do having served as a u.s. attorney for maryland, rod is someone who is unquestionably has the character, the independence to serve. he served in two different administrations so again, i m