President Donald Trump "hasn't cooled off on" Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and could still fire him over his role in the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, Axios reported Friday.
Axios cited "a source close to Trump," noting that the White House is "in a defensive posture" on the issue.
"Trump doesn't know exactly what to do with [Rosenstein]," the source told the site. "They don't have a clean way to get rid of him.
"That's the problem."
Rosenstein, however, might be "about to be spit-roasted" by President Trump, the source said.
Rosenstein appointed Mueller after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.
Trump has repeatedly said that he had no plans to fire Rosenstein or Mueller, telling reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday: "They've been saying I'm going to get rid of them for the last three months, four months, five months — and they're still here.
"We want to get the investigation over with, done with, put it behind us," the president said of the Moscow probe. "We have to get back to business."
Bloomberg News also reported Thursday that Rosenstein told Trump last week that he was not a target of any part of Mueller's investigation or the inquiry into his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Still, Axios disclosed Friday that a case was "being built against" Rosenstein by two members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, and founding member Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
"That's what Meadows and Jordan are doing," the source said.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Republican lawmakers met with Rosenstein in his office the day before after Meadows warned him that he could face impeachment proceedings or be held in contempt of Congress if Rosenstein did not hand over Justice Department documents on the Clinton and Russia probes.
In addition, the source told Axios that Trump naming former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to his legal team reflected his frustration with the progress of the Mueller probe.
"The way it's been characterized by senior administration officials is that the president is frustrated and casting about," the source said. "That's typical of him.
"He's done it before.
"He's upset — and the way he thinks more will happen is if new people are brought onto the scene."
Giuliani, 73, a former federal prosecutor who managed the city during the 9/11 attacks, told the Post Thursday that he joined Trump's personal legal team to "negotiate an end to this for the good of the country."
"This is all Trump trying to move the ball," the source told Axios, "and he thinks by having substitutions and additional players he'll do that.
"What he really needs is what he's not getting," the person added. "He needs a lead lawyer who has the backing and resources of a large firm."
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