Rosenstein submits resignation letter

WASHINGTON — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has submitted his formal letter of resignation to President Donald Trump.

It’s effective May 11. The departure had been expected since the confirmation of William Barr as attorney general.

Rosenstein intended to leave in mid-March but stayed on a little longer for the completion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Mueller submitted his report to the Justice Department last month. Rosenstein and Barr concluded that Trump did not obstruct justice.

His departure ends a nearly two-year run defined by his appointment of a special counsel to investigate connections between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in 2017 after the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, had overseen his team’s work for much of the past two years.

He not only supervised Mueller’s work, but also defended the investigation against attacks from congressional Republicans and Trump, who has blasted it as a “witch hunt.” In so doing, Rosenstein sometimes found himself at odds with Trump but was nonetheless spared the brunt of anger directed at Sessions, whose recusal infuriated the president.

In his resignation letter to Trump, Rosenstein praised the president for his personal charm and policy goals.

“As I submit my resignation effective on May 11, I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity, because ‘a nation exists to serve its citizens’,” Rosenstein wrote.