Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General of the U.S., to Resign

A U.S. Department of Justice official said on Wednesday that Rod Rosenstein, the deputy of this department who oversees the investigations related to Russian interference in the U.S. presidential elections, will resign from his position in the coming weeks, coinciding with the start of the new attorney general appointed by Donald Trump. Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general who was a supporter of Donald Trump during the campaign, refrained from interfering in the investigations regarding Russian interference and the potential collusion of the Trump campaign with Russia, and as a result, oversight of this case was assigned to Rod Rosenstein. Jeff Sessions was dismissed by Donald Trump shortly after the midterm elections in November. Before William Barr's appointment to the position of attorney general is finalized, he must receive confirmation from the Senate. Mr. Barr will appear next week at a Judiciary Committee session that is a precursor to his confirmation review. The Department of Justice official, who requested anonymity in the Reuters report, added that no specific time has been set for Mr. Rosenstein's resignation, and he intends to resign shortly after the new attorney general begins his work. William Barr served as the U.S. Attorney General from 1991 to 1993 during George H.W. Bush's presidency. If he becomes attorney general, he will oversee the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference. Robert Mueller, the special counsel for this investigation, is also a Republican and was appointed to this position by Mr. Rosenstein in 2017. Reuters adds that given that William Barr questioned the investigations into Russian interference in a memo several months ago, it is likely that his confirmation process will be scrutinized, especially by Democrats. Mr. Rosenstein has stated that Mr. Barr's comments have had no impact on the investigation process. The Department of Justice official added that Mr. Rosenstein will continue to work until the transition period to William Barr is completed. From the beginning, his plan was not to remain in the deputy attorney general position for more than two years and he is not forced to resign. Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, commented on this news, which was first reported by ABC News, in an interview with Fox News, stating that she had not spoken with Mr. Rosenstein and that either Mr. Rosenstein or the president should announce his resignation. Mr. Rosenstein has been criticized multiple times by Donald Trump. Mr. Trump has condemned the investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. elections as a 'witch hunt' and has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia. U.S. security agencies concluded in their investigations that the goal of Russian interference was to influence votes in favor of Donald Trump.