WASHINGTON – Donald Trump faced a new challenge to his authority Fridayafter US media reported that his deputy attorney general had discussed waysto force him from office on grounds of incompetence, just months into hispresidency.

In the latest bombshell to rock the troubled administration, The New YorkTimes and The Washington Post reported that Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 hadsuggested secretly recording Trump for evidence of White House dysfunction– and using that to formally remove him from power.

Coming on the heels of an explosive book by respected White Housechronicler Bob Woodward, the reports added to mounting evidence indicatingthat numerous people in Trump s own government have serious doubts abouthis fitness for office — and have actively worked to undermine him.

As the number two Justice Department official, Rosenstein oversees theprobe into whether Trump s 2016 election campaign colluded with Russians indefeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The Time and Post reports were both based on secret memos by a former FBIdirector — which some speculated may have been leaked in order toundermine Rosenstein, and in turn the Russia special prosecutor RobertMueller.

Rosenstein branded the reports “inaccurate and factually incorrect.”

“I never pursued or authorized recording the president and any suggestionthat I have ever advocated for the removal of the president is absolutelyfalse,” he added.

And the Justice Department released a statement by a former senior official– who would not be identified — saying that he was “in the room” at thetime and that Rosenstein was only joking.

“The statement was sarcastic and was never discussed with any intention ofrecording a conversation with the president,” said the former official.

Trump s son Donald Trump Jr held up the reports as evidence of disloyaltyamong the president s entourage.

“Who are we kidding at this point?” he tweeted, above a link to the Timesarticle. “No one is shocked that these guys would do anything in theirpower to undermine @realdonaldtrump.”

Trump s Republican ally Mike Huckabee meanwhile urged Attorney General JeffSessions to fire Rosenstein — or for Trump to fire them both if he refuses.

Washington was convulsed this month by the release of Woodward s book onthe inner workings of the White House — which he described as mired in aperpetual “nervous breakdown” with staff battling to control an unstablepresident.

Compounding Woodward s account, The New York Times went on to publish anop-ed by an anonymous senior official — whose identity remains a mystery– claiming that select administration staff members are so alarmed by thepresident s “erratic” and “amoral” behavior that they actively sabotage hismost extreme policy efforts.

“We believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continuesto act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic,” thewriter said.

The latest reports were based on private memos written by then-interim FBIdirector Andrew McCabe, summarizing discussions with Rosenstein.

Because Rosenstein oversees the Russia probe, there was immediatespeculation that the memos may have been leaked in order to damageRosenstein, and by extension Mueller — more than to hurt Trump.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 as the special counsel for theRussia investigation.

After securing convictions of seven people associated with Trump, Mueller sprobe increasingly threatens the White House and the president himself.

Trump has repeatedly pressured Rosenstein and Sessions to shut down what hecalls an illegal “witch hunt.”

The president did not respond specifically to the shock news reports, butat a political rally in Missouri late Friday he referred to “what s beingexposed at the Department of Justice and the FBI.”

“You have some real bad ones. You see what s happening at the FBI – they reall gone, they re all gone,” he said.

“There s a lingering stench and we re going to get rid of that too,” Trumpfinished.

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, immediately sought topre-empt any attempt to fire Rosenstein.

“This story must not be used as a pretext for the corrupt purpose of firingDeputy Attorney General Rosenstein in order (to) install an official whowill allow the president to interfere with the Special Counsel sinvestigation,” Schumer said.

The Times said Rosenstein made the comments in a particularly chaoticperiod, in the weeks right after he was appointed deputy attorney general.

Rosenstein s alleged allusion to the 25th amendment of the US Constitution,which provides for removing a president if they are judged unfit foroffice, came just after Trump fired FBI director James Comey — invoking amemo written by Rosenstein.

According to the Times, Rosenstein was unhappy about being “used” by Trumpin the firing of Comey, as well as concerned about other turmoil in theWhite House under the new president. – APP/AFP