(CN) - President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed a planned meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, citing the ongoing hearing on Capitol Hill regarding sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
In a brief statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump and Rosenstein spoke by phone and agreed to meet next week and both agreed it was best to put off their face-to-face.
“The president spoke with Rod Rosenstein a few minutes ago and they plan to meet next week. They do not want to do anything to interfere with the hearing,” Sanders said.
The announcement came on a riveting day on Capitol Hill as Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault in high school, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Kavanaugh will testify later in the afternoon about the allegations.
Rosenstein is in the president's crosshairs after a New York Times report that said the deputy AG discussed secretly taping the president last spring and recruiting other Cabinet members to invoke the 25th amendment to remove the president.
But Trump, speaking with reporters at the United Nations on Wednesday, dismissed the report, citing Rosenstein’s denial.
“Many people said I had the right to absolutely fire him. He said he did not say it. He said he does not believe that. And nobody in this room believes it, by the way,” Trump said.
Trump also suggested he doesn't want Rosenstein to leave.
“My preference would be to keep him, and to let him finish up,” Trump said. “I would much prefer keeping Rod Rosenstein.”
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