This story on Rosenstein makes the picture much clearer...

[kentuck]

We were scratching our heads trying to figure out what Rosenstein was doing? For a while, we thought he was the primary person keeping the Mueller investigation alive. The Republicans had threatened to impeach him. He thought he was going to be fired.

Then, he got a second life.

Now, we know why. He was surreptitiously informing Trump that he would "land the plane" for him. Somewhere along the line, he decided that he would clear Donald Trump of all charges. Did he do it to keep his job?

He broke all rules and protocol. It was a traitorous act. There are no words....

[True Blue American]

1. And, boy are the former members going after him.

Matt just said he had always considered Rosenstein weak.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Their true colors eventually show themselves...

In the end, he's just another weasel.

[Kurt V.]

3. It's probably that simple. he did it to keep his job.

[Karadeniz]

4. I've tried to think of ways to separate Justice from Executive...without creating another

J. Edgar situation. Any ideas?

[Volaris]

16. You need a law that states that Justice Dept is under the direction

of the Executive, unless the investigation is OF the sitting executive or a member of the their cabinet...at which point, operate that inquiry under the joint auspices of the Supreme Court and the Judicary Committee Heads...and cut the ATTY GENERALS office out of the loop.

Something along those lines would be my suggestion...

[Karadeniz]

38. That would work!

[manor321]

5. IMHO, too much is being made of this story

Yes, it is an important story. But my biggest fear is it makes it sound like our side believes the Mueller report clears the president (and that we're looking to complain about that). The truth is that the Mueller report is devastating.

And, as has been explained many times, if the Special Counsel was turned down for anything he wanted, Congress would be notified immediately. They never got that notice.

Rosenstein needs to testify to the House for this. It's an important story, not a super critical one.

[triron]

14. No, we're talking about Barr and Rosenstein's version.

It's an explosive story.

[uponit7771]

17. Rosenstein giving the president assurances on the Mueller investigation isn't super critical? Not ..

...understanding everything about this story but Rosenstein not being impartial sounds pretty big.

Also,

We don't know what Rosenstein has or hasn't done, we need Mueller's own words

[malaise]

6. That landing plane analogy is a disaster for ReTHUGs

in the middle of the scandal related to two Boeing crashes

[MFGsunny]

37. You're reading my mind! However, since Barr and Rosenstein

ASSURED dumpster-don that "they're landing the plane" they should BOTH worry that 1) neither of them has any competent pilot's license and 2) the exposure they've gotten so far in the news concludes their "landing" is a CRASH messaging escapade. OMG they couldn't even put different analogies together!!!!!!

TWO fools sitting in a tree .........

[spanone]

7. and trump is calling the republican led special counsel investigation a coup

[Totally Tunsie]

8. Is there anyone in that administration who is not complicit?

Never mind...

[madaboutharry]

9. It really is overwhelming.

It is hard to understand the ease with which these people were corrupted. Rosenstein sold out and "landed the plane' for Trump.

The entire Mueller investigation and report is now suspect.

This is now unraveling and revealing itself to be a massive cover-up of the crimes of Donald J. Trump.

[BKDem]

11. Why is Mueller's report suspect?

What's suspect is how quickly it ended after Barr's appointment. The report -- as far as it goes -- was comprehensive and professional. The question is, was Mueller planning to go further?

[madaboutharry]

12. Rosenstein was Mueller's boss.

Rosenstein was controlling the investigation. Mueller had to answer to Rosenstein throughout the entire two years.

[triron]

15. Exactly. This is why Mueller didn't find criminal conspiracy.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. I would say he has more crying to do in his future, but I'm sure some Republican will slap

a medal on him like they did to Tenet.

[OnDoutside]

13. A weasel. Jim Comey called him a "Survivor", and it wasn't a compliment.

[MBS]

24. + 100 n/t

[kairos12]

18. For him it was pension before patriotism.

[Mr.Bill]

19. I said here many times during the Meuller investigation

that I was not comfortable with the future of our country being in the hands of a bunch of republican FBI agents. Sadly, I think I was correct.

[spanone]

20. His greatest projection yet: '...a coup against the United States of America'

He was referring to the republican initiated Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller

[Pepsidog]

21. Put his skinny cowardly ass in jail the big cry baby.

[yaesu]

23. He's just another tRump butt plug. nt

[Hotler]

25. William Barr said the same thing.

"I'm landing this plane right now." blah, blah blah. Interesting choice of words for these guys.

[UniteFightBack]

30. It's code. nt

[eleny]

26. The more that is revealed the more it all sounds like Shakespeare

[Hekate]

27. I refer you to Everything Trump Touches Dies

[SMoss]

28. Rosenstine is a d***

Watching him stand behind Barr expressionless whole Barr lied to the nation told me he has no spine.

[UniteFightBack]

29. Rosenstein HAD to land the plane since he is involved. He wrote the letter...he is a witness, he

licked some rumphole and yes broke rules and protocol. I think he wanted OUT of this whole thing and he did land the plane but the plane is severely damaged and banged up. It can't be flown again --- it is forever grounded and now will be inspected with scrutiny.

[EveHammond13]

31. weak, corrupt traitor.

[iluvtennis]

32. Exactly kentuck, exactly. So, disgusting.

[H2O Man]

33. Recommended.

This stuff is all so insanely out of control.

[Qutzupalotl]

34. Mueller did not clear Trump of all charges.

And he did not break protocol; he said the only reason he didn't charge Trump with obstruction was that he couldn't due to existing policy. Barr was the one who "exonerated" him. Mueller did hand Congress a road map to impeachment.

[kentuck]

35. talking about Rosenstein?

[Qutzupalotl]

36. That was not Rosenstein's place.

[gratuitous]

39. Isn't that the same phrasing Republicans used for the Florida vote count in 2000?

Why yes, yes it is:

Vanity Fair's 2004 story on the Florida vote count:

Katherine Harris, Florida’s elected secretary of state, managed to make herself into a lightning rod for both sides’ feelings about the election. She had worked in her spare time as an ardent partisan for the Bush campaign and had served as a delegate to the Republican convention that summer. She remained one of George W.’s eight campaign co-chairs for Florida right up until Election Day.

* * *

Sensing trouble, the Bush camp gave her a “minder”: Mac Stipanovich, a coolly efficient Republican lobbyist who worked in Tallahassee. Stipanovich had served as a campaign adviser for Jeb in his first, unsuccessful run for governor, in 1994, and he had remained closely aligned with him ever since. Stipanovich appealed to Harris’s grandiosity. (Her e-mails replying to Bush supporters later revealed that she had begun identifying with Queen Esther, who, in the Old Testament, saved the Jews from genocide. “My sister and I prayed for full armour this morning,” she wrote. “Queen Esther has been a wonderful role model.”) He told her that nothing less than the course of history rested on her shoulders. “You have to bring this election in for a landing,” he repeated again and again.