Rosenstein's fate could turn on which account Trump believes

ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL BALSAMO

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who discussed secretly recording President Donald Trump and possibly suggested removing him from office, could turn on whether Trump believes the account of an ex-FBI official who he once tweeted had "LIED! LIED! LIED!"

The revelation that the No. 2 Justice Department official had even broached those ideas, sarcastically or not, creates greater uncertainty for Rosenstein's job status at a time when Trump has railed against law enforcement leadership as biased against him.

The president on Friday night said there was a "lingering stench" at the Justice Department that "we're going to get rid of," though he didn't name names.