A former FBI attorney said in testimony that was just released that at least two members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet were prepared to oust him.
James Baker, who was the top attorney at the FBI, said in closed door testimony before Congress that he was informed of this by Andrew McCabe and Lisa Page.
He was told that former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was at the center of the move, Fox News reported.
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The testimony was delivered last fall to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. Fox News has confirmed portions of the transcript. It provides additional insight into discussions that have returned to the spotlight in Washington as fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe revisits the matter during interviews promoting his forthcoming book.
Baker did not identify the two Cabinet officials. But in his testimony, the lawyer said McCabe and FBI lawyer Lisa Page came to him to relay their conversations with Rosenstein, including discussions of the 25th Amendment.
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“I was being told by some combination of Andy McCabe and Lisa Page, that, in a conversation with the Deputy Attorney General, he had stated that he — this was what was related to me — that he had at least two members of the president’s Cabinet who were ready to support, I guess you would call it, an action under the 25th Amendment,” Baker told the committees.
The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism for removing a sitting president from office. One way that could happen is if a majority of the president’s Cabinet says the president is incapable of discharging his duties.
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Rosenstein, who still works at the Justice Department but who is expected to exit in the near future, has denied the claims since they first surfaced in the media last year.
Fox News requested further comment from the parties involved. Lawyers for Baker and McCabe declined comment, as did an FBI spokesperson.
In his testimony, Baker said of McCabe’s state of mind: “At this point in time, Andy was unbelievably focused and unbelievably confident and squared away. I don’t know how to describe it other than I was extremely proud to be around him at that point in time because I thought he was doing an excellent job at maintaining focus and dealing with a very uncertain and difficult situation. So I think he was in a good state of mind at this point in time.”
Fox News shared a copy of the questions and answers that led to the revelation by Baker.
Question: “Do you know what direction that went? Was it Mr. Rosenstein seeking out members of the Cabinet looking to pursue this 25th Amendment approach or was it the other way around?”
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Baker: “What I recall being said was that the Deputy Attorney General had two members of the Cabinet. So he – how they came to be had, I don’t know, but…”
Question: “So he had two members, almost like he was taking the initiative and getting the members?”
Baker: “That would be speculation on my part.”
Baker also said he did not know the names of the two Cabinet officials.
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“Lisa and Andy did not tell me, and my impression was they didn’t know themselves,” he said.
https://twitter.com/dsgwld/status/1097106751915257856
Will Catherine Herridge win the #PulitzerPrize? She’s one of the truly great journalists in my lifetime. Relentless, thorough, and completely unbiased. She shames the #FakeNews hacks at #CNN every day of her life. https://t.co/2x6HHXFrT3
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) February 17, 2019
A warning to even Democrats! In the future if non-elected officials in the deep state want you to remove you they will try their best to do so!
Former top FBI lawyer: 2 Trump cabinet officials were ‘ready to support’ 25th Amendment effort https://t.co/WPyiXHqavi #FoxNews
— Suze Michelini (@emilia_suze) February 17, 2019
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Can you say coup de taut?https://t.co/CqmVDXXC4J https://t.co/CqmVDXXC4J
— Waxedfish (@waxedfish) February 17, 2019