Deputy Attorney General quits
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has verbally resigned to Chief of Staff John Kelly in anticipation of being fired by President Trump, according to a source cited by Axios.
He quit instead of being fired, the report says.
Last week, there was a NYT report that said Rosenstein floated the idea of wearing a wire and speaking with Trump among other things. Rosenstein overseas Mueller's Russia investigation. If he's removed it could be the precursor to Trump maneuvering to put an end to the investigation.
US equity markets ticked lower on the report and USD/JPY has slid.
Update: Subsequent reports are widespread and that he's on his way to the White House right now, however, at least one report says he hasn't resigned and that he's going to force Trump to fire him.
Update 2: Solicitor General Noel Francisco will now oversee the Mueller investigation, according to rules cited by Vox. He will have the power to shut down the investigation.
Update 3: Now there are more sources saying he won't resign and will force Trump to fire him. It will be an important distinction, not just the optics of it but for potential obstruction of justice or for what comes next in the Russia investigation.
