US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Robert Mueller to investigate Donald Trump, resigns
- Rosenstein had intended to leave mid-March but stayed on for completion of probe into Trump-Russia collusion
- His exit leaves Department of Justice without the official most closely aligned with the Mueller investigation
US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein resigned on Monday, ending a nearly two-year run defined by his appointment of a special counsel to investigate connections between US President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia. His last day will be May 11.
Rosenstein’s departure had been expected since the confirmation of William Barr as attorney general. The White House nominated a replacement for the department’s No 2 slot weeks ago.
The deputy attorney general intended to leave around mid-March but stayed on for the completion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Mueller last month submitted his report to the Justice Department, and Rosenstein was part of a small group of department officials who reviewed the document and helped shape its public release.
After Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed the investigation, Barr and Rosenstein stepped in and determined the evidence was not enough to support such an allegation.
