USA TODAY International Edition
Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller probe, to leave post
WASHINGTON – Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel investigation into the 2016 election, is expected to leave his post in a matter of weeks, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The move is timed to the anticipated confirmation of William Barr, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to succeed ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The person familiar with the transition said Rosenstein is leaving on his own terms.
Senate confirmation hearings for Barr are scheduled to start Jan. 15, and a vote could follow in the coming weeks.
Rosenstein’s expected departure would come after a tumultuous 20 months, in which he has often been placed at odds with the administration he works for and Trump himself.
Since his appointment of Robert Mueller to lead the Justice Department’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Rosenstein has been the target of unrelenting criticism from Trump, who has derided the inquiry as a witch hunt.
During that time, Rosenstein has been seen as a key shield for Mueller as Trump and some Republican lawmakers have openly mulled removing both Rosenstein and Mueller.
Rosenstein’s appointment of Mueller was prompted by Sessions’ recusal from the inquiry because of his work for the Trump campaign. The recusal ultimately led to Sessions’ firing following the November midterm elections.
If confirmed, Barr would assume management of the Mueller investigation, widely believed to be in its final stages. Rosenstein has continued to help oversee the inquiry since the November appointment of acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, the interim replacement for Sessions.
Barr, meanwhile, was on Capitol Hill Wednesday, meeting with lawmakers in advance of next week’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Barr was attorney general from 1991-93 during George H.W. Bush administration.
Asked about Rosenstein’s status, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that the deputy attorney general had long planned to serve two years. He was confirmed by the Senate in April 2017.
“I know (Rosenstein) has a great deal of respect for the new nominee for attorney general, Mr. Barr,” Sanders said on Fox News. “And I think they have a great relationship.
“I haven’t spoken to the deputy attorney general myself, so I’ll leave any announcement for him or the president to make when they want to do that. But certainly I don’t think there’s any willingness by the president or White House to push him out. My guess is that he is making room for the new attorney general to build a team he wants around him.”
Rosenstein had considered resigning from his post as recently as September in the wake of a New York Times report indicating that the deputy attorney general had suggested invoking the 25th Amendment last year to remove Trump.
Rosenstein has strongly denied the report, which indicated that he suggested recording Trump’s conversations in hopes of triggering the president’s removal from office.
Democrats expressed deep concern Wednesday about Rosenstein’s pending departure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the development only “heightens the stakes” for Barr’s looming confirmation hearing.