Rod Rosenstein Image by Getty Images

Rod Rosenstein, the top Justice Department official who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller, stuck close to President Trump’s line on Tuesday, praising the new leader’s policies in a speech to the NAACP.

“In President Trump’s inaugural address, he said that Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands,” Rosenstein, now Jeff Sessions’ deputy at the Justice Department, told the crowd of activists in Baltimore.

He did not address criticisms leveled by Trump at Jeff Sessions – Trump has complained that Sessions should not have recused himself on the Russia investigation, leaving Rosenstein in charge of the matter.

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According to Politico, it was a tough room for Rosenstein, with little applause as he defended the administration’s new commitment to taking the side of law enforcement in police brutality cases.

Rosenstein has stepped into the spotlight with the firing of FBI director James Comey and the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. He has served in three successive administration – those of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now Trump.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

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