Rod Rosenstein Image by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein plans to leave his role once President Trump’s nominee for attorney general is confirmed by the Senate, ABC News reported.

Rosenstein told President Trump and White House officials that if William Barr is confirmed, he’ll leave soon after, according to multiple sources familiar with his plans.

Rosenstein reportedly assured them that he would assist Barr with the transition and help him find a replacement deputy.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

For more than a year, Rosenstein has been overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election. Barr would most likely take over that role, since Rosenstein only assumed it after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself.

Rosenstein reportedly planned to stay for two years anyway, and there is no indication that Trump is forcing him out of the administration, ABC reported.

Some Democrats expressed concern with Rosenstein’s departure.

“I’m concerned about it because I’ve seen him as a reliable, steady public servant that understands his job, and is willing to do it regardless of political pressure,” Representative Dan Kildee told Hill.TV.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount