Former FBI General Counsel James Baker returned to Capitol Hill Thursday to meet with the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees for a second time.
GOP lawmakers say Baker, who appeared before the panels earlier this month, told congressional investigators that he believes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was serious when he told other officials he was considering wearing a wiretap during an Oval Office meeting with President Trump last year following Trump’s firing of then-FBI director James Comey.
The New York Times, which published the bombshell report disclosing the wiretap discussion, also said Rosenstein raised the possibility of the 25th Amendment, talking about possibly removing Trump from office with the help of other Cabinet officials.
Rosenstein and the DOJ have fiercely disputed the story, stating that some comments were made in jest. Baker, however, told congressional investigators and a select group of GOP lawmakers that he believed Rosenstein meant them.
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Although it is unclear what new information lawmakers gleaned from this second meeting with Baker, conservative House members appeared to ramp up their attacks against Rosenstein.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), one of the president’s strongest allies and a fierce critic of the FBI and DOJ, called on Rosenstein to immediately resign after the interview concluded.
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Baker, whom GOP lawmakers described as being cooperative, did not respond to reporters’ questions about his testimony. Baker retired earlier this year from the bureau and now works for the Brookings Institution, a D.C.-based think tank.
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The joint investigation, derided by Democrats as an effort to discredit or distract from special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, has been hotly sought by conservative members, who say there is ample evidence of bias against Trump among the top brass at the FBI and DOJ.
Baker is one of a handful of former FBI and DOJ officials who have met with the committee in recent weeks.
Nellie Ohr, Bruce Ohr’s wife who worked as a contractor for Fusion GPS during the presidential election, is slated to testify before the committee on Friday.
Former FBI lawyer speaks with House lawmakers on Rosenstein, 2016 (The Hill)