GOP/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “We’re now a little more than 36 hours from the face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Since Monday [9-24-18] morning — when rumors spread like wildfire that Rosenstein was on his way to resign to chief of staff John Kelly — the expectation has been that Trump will can Rosenstein on Thursday [9-27-18]. Not so fast…There are two reasons — one practical, one psychological — that suggest that Rosenstein could be spared on Thursday. First, the practical. Virtually every Republican in elected office has urged Trump to keep Rosenstein on the job — for now. The concern among that group is that the Senate is already embroiled in a confirmation fight over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. And, with the 2018 midterms set for six weeks from today, the last thing they need is to face down a series of questions about whether the President is purposely meddling in the special counsel investigation by Robert Mueller that Rosenstein currently oversees.”
–Chris Cillizza, “Why Donald Trump might not fire Rod Rosenstein,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, September 25, 2018 9:50 pm