SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appeared to be the target of a tweet by President Donald Trump on Friday morning. (Photo: AP)
Despite Nationwide Effort to Insulate Deputy AG From Trump, Rosenstein Reportedly Has Exit Plan
"Let's hope this means Rosenstein believes that Mueller’s work is largely done and can no longer be derailed."
Jan 08, 2019
While an aggressive push by grassroots organizations and congressional lawmakers was made to ensure Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein was not improperly removed or forced out of his position at the U.S. Justice Department, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday morning that he has indicated to the White House his intention to leave within the coming weeks.
Rosenstein, ABC News reports, "has communicated to President Donald Trump and White House officials his plan to depart the administration around the time William Barr, Trump's nominee for attorney general, would take office following a Senate confirmation."
According to CNN:
The deputy attorney general has been managing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and has signaled to other officials that he would leave when he was satisfied that Mueller's investigation was either complete or close enough to completion that it was protected.
When exactly Rosenstein leaves could shift depending on the timing of Barr's confirmation and the naming of a new deputy attorney general. An official briefed on the discussions said Rosenstein wants to ensure a smooth transition, which includes the Mueller investigation.
Barr's Senate confirmation hearing begins January 15, which means a confirmation vote at the earliest would occur in mid-February.
There has been paramount concern among Trump critics that Rosenstein would be forced out or fired as a way for the president to assert more control over the Mueller probe.
\u201cLet\u2019s hope this means Rosenstein believes that Mueller\u2019s work is largely done and can no longer be derailed.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1547041414
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
While an aggressive push by grassroots organizations and congressional lawmakers was made to ensure Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein was not improperly removed or forced out of his position at the U.S. Justice Department, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday morning that he has indicated to the White House his intention to leave within the coming weeks.
Rosenstein, ABC News reports, "has communicated to President Donald Trump and White House officials his plan to depart the administration around the time William Barr, Trump's nominee for attorney general, would take office following a Senate confirmation."
According to CNN:
The deputy attorney general has been managing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and has signaled to other officials that he would leave when he was satisfied that Mueller's investigation was either complete or close enough to completion that it was protected.
When exactly Rosenstein leaves could shift depending on the timing of Barr's confirmation and the naming of a new deputy attorney general. An official briefed on the discussions said Rosenstein wants to ensure a smooth transition, which includes the Mueller investigation.
Barr's Senate confirmation hearing begins January 15, which means a confirmation vote at the earliest would occur in mid-February.
There has been paramount concern among Trump critics that Rosenstein would be forced out or fired as a way for the president to assert more control over the Mueller probe.
\u201cLet\u2019s hope this means Rosenstein believes that Mueller\u2019s work is largely done and can no longer be derailed.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1547041414
While an aggressive push by grassroots organizations and congressional lawmakers was made to ensure Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein was not improperly removed or forced out of his position at the U.S. Justice Department, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday morning that he has indicated to the White House his intention to leave within the coming weeks.
Rosenstein, ABC News reports, "has communicated to President Donald Trump and White House officials his plan to depart the administration around the time William Barr, Trump's nominee for attorney general, would take office following a Senate confirmation."
According to CNN:
The deputy attorney general has been managing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and has signaled to other officials that he would leave when he was satisfied that Mueller's investigation was either complete or close enough to completion that it was protected.
When exactly Rosenstein leaves could shift depending on the timing of Barr's confirmation and the naming of a new deputy attorney general. An official briefed on the discussions said Rosenstein wants to ensure a smooth transition, which includes the Mueller investigation.
Barr's Senate confirmation hearing begins January 15, which means a confirmation vote at the earliest would occur in mid-February.
There has been paramount concern among Trump critics that Rosenstein would be forced out or fired as a way for the president to assert more control over the Mueller probe.
\u201cLet\u2019s hope this means Rosenstein believes that Mueller\u2019s work is largely done and can no longer be derailed.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1547041414
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.