President Donald Trump and arch critic Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein are headed for a showdown, with the pair to meet at  the White House this week, amid suggestions that Mr Trump was about to fire Mr Rosenstein.

If Mr Rosenstein either resigns or is fired, it would have immediate implications for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible collaboration between Russia and the Trump campaign before the 2016 election. Mr Rosenstein appointed Mr Mueller and oversees his Russia investigation, which Mr Trump has repeatedly called “a witch hunt”.

Earlier on Monday, there were rumours that Mr Rosenstein would probably resign or be sacked after a New York Times report claiming that he had secretly discussed recording Mr Trump and would invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the President from office.

There was speculation this would happen on Monday when Mr Rosenstein visited the White House for a national security meeting on opioid abuse.

However, with Mr Trump at the United Nations in New York, Mr Rosenstein left with no action taken, and a meeting between the pair was set down for Thursday (local time), White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

“At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

“Because the President is at the United Nations General Assembly and has a full schedule with leaders from around the world, they will meet on Thursday when the President returns to Washington, DC.”

The meeting will take place on the same day as an extraordinary Senate hearing to feature Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school, adding to the turmoil in the Trump administration, only  weeks before midterm elections with control of Congress at stake.

If Mr Rosenstein does go, Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the highest-ranking Senate-confirmed official below Mr Rosenstein in the Justice Department, would take control of the Mueller investigation.

‘Under no circumstances’ should he resign

Meanwhile, Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on Twitter that Mr Rosenstein should force Mr Trump to fire him rather than resign.

“Rosenstein should continue to do his job, protect the independence of the DOJ, and if the President intends to obstruct justice, force Trump to fire him,” Mr Schiff tweeted.