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Thread: Rosenstein expected to depart DOJ in coming weeks if new attorney general confirmed

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    Default Rosenstein expected to depart DOJ in coming weeks if new attorney general confirmed

    Rosenstein expected to depart DOJ in coming weeks if new attorney general confirmed


    • By Pierre Thomas,
    • Jonathan Karl,
    • John Santucci
    • Mike Levine

    Jan 9, 2019, 4:00 AM ET


    Andrew Harnik/AP
    Coming upOversight of Mueller probe being handled 'appropriately' under Whitaker: Rosenstein


    Rosenstein 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.
    Sources told ABC News Rosenstein wants to ensure a smooth transition to his successor and would accommodate the needs of Barr, should he be confirmed.
    Rosenstein apparently had long been thinking he would serve about two years, and there was no indication that he was being forced out at this moment by the president.

    Upon the termination of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, speculation mounted that Rosenstein would depart shortly thereafter, yet he's remained in his post as Matt Whitaker has served as acting Attorney General since late November.

    Win McNamee/Getty Images, FILE
    Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein attends the Religious Liberty Summit at the Department of Justice, July 30, 2018, in Washington, DC.more +
    Rosenstein oversaw special counsel Robert Mueller's probe for more than a year, after Sessions had recused from the matter over his role in Trump's presidential campaign.
    Like other senior leaders within the Justice Department, Rosenstein became a frequent target of Trump's on Twitter, with the president recently re-posting an image of Rosenstein and others behind bars.

    In May 2017, shortly after Trump fired James Comey as FBI Director, Rosenstein made the call to appoint Mueller to take over the FBI probe of Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election and any possible ties between Russian operatives and Trump associates.
    Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly blasted that decision. But tensions between Trump and Rosenstein came to a head in September, after reports surfaced saying that, during a meeting in the immediate aftermath of Comey's firing, Rosenstein raised the possibility of secretly recording the president at the White House.
    However, a source familiar with how Justice Department officials who attended that later meeting viewed what happened, said they believed Rosenstein was being "sarcastic" -- noting that there was never any follow-up conversation from Rosenstein or anyone else about it.

    Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images, FILE
    Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein applauds after Attorney General Jeff Sessions, right, made an announcement on efforts to reduce transitional crime during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, Oct, 15, 2018.more +
    Speaking later about the reports, Rosenstein never totally disputed making such a remark, but he insisted the reports were overblown and that he never took any action to secretly record Trump. A private conversation between Trump and Rosenstein weeks later seemed to cool tensions.

    Rosenstein played a significant role in Comey's constroversial firing. He and Sessions each submitted letters to Trump, laying out why they believed Comey's termination was warranted. In particular, Rosenstein took Comey to task for his handling of the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server, and the White House repeatedly pointed to Rosenstein's letter to defend removing Comey.
    Though Rosenstein became deputy attorney general under Trump, he served in senior Justice Department roles under both Republican and Democratic presidents. Many of his colleagues within the Justice Department view him as someone who's made decisions based on protecting the department's legacy.

    File-Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
    Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, on June 20, 2017.
    With questions mounting over Trump's appointment of Whitaker to replace Sessions as acting attorney general, Rosenstein walked to cameras to publicly praise Whitaker, fearing more public concern over the Justice Department could do lasting damage to the institution, sources told ABC News.

    Whitaker had been critical of the Mueller probe in media appearances from before joining the Trump Justice Department, which raised questions about his impartiality in overseeing the probe.
    From 2005 to 2017, Rosenstein served as U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. Over 15 years before that, he served in senior roles throughout the Justice Department, prosecuting public corruption and other federal crimes, and serving as a senior counselor in the department during the Clinton administration.
    During his March 2017 confirmation hearing to become deputy attorney general, Rosenstein told Senators he would "certainly" resign his post if he felt he was being inappropriately pressured to influence an investigation.



    https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rose...-general/story
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    Graham Says Trump’s Attorney General Pick Won’t End Mueller Probe

    By Steven T. Dennis
    January 9, 2019, 12:13 PM EST


    • Barr pledged transparency on final probe report, senator says


    President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee told Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham that he’ll let Special Counsel Robert Mueller complete his Russia probe and err on the side of transparency in handling Mueller’s final report, the South Carolina Republican said.

    Graham, a close ally of Trump, met Wednesday with William Barr, who the president nominated to replace ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, ahead of his confirmation hearings next week.

    “I asked Mr. Barr directly, ‘Do you think Bob, Mr. Mueller’s, on a witch hunt?’ He said no. ‘Do you think he would be fair to the president and the country as a whole?’ He said yes,” Graham told reporters.

    Barr said that when Mueller’s report is delivered to him, he would go through a process to determine what could be shared with the Congress and the public, “erring on the side of transparency.” It’s a commitment that could bring Barr into conflict with the White House.

    Trump’s lawyers may try to assert executive privilege to prevent key Mueller findings from being turned over to Congress and the public, according to people familiar with the deliberations. That fight could end up before the Supreme Court.

    Democrats have said they want Barr to make an unambiguous, public pledge to protect Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, including whether anyone close to Trump conspired with the Russians and whether the president sought to obstruct justice.

    “It’s critical that Mr. Barr make clear during his hearing that he is committed to the rule of law and that he will not allow President Trump to interfere with the Mueller investigation,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a member of the Judiciary panel, said Wednesday in a statement.

    Some of Barr’s comments to Graham about the Mueller probe contradict Trump, who has frequently derided the investigation as a “witch hunt” and accused Mueller and his team of being biased. Barr told Graham that he could understand the president’s feelings given that he is “sort of the accused,” Graham said.

    Barr also stood by a memo he wrote last year making the case that the firing of political appointees shouldn’t be considered as possible obstruction of justice, telling Graham that it would set a dangerous precedent. Graham added that he shares Barr’s concerns, though some Democrats have blasted Barr’s views on the subject.

    Graham also said Barr noted that he and Mueller have been good friends for decades.

    “They’ve been personal friends for over 20 years,” Graham said, noting they worked together previously at the Department of Justice. “His opinion of Mr. Mueller is very, very high in terms of ethics and character and professionalism.”

    Graham said Barr’s and Mueller’s wives attend Bible study together and Mueller has attended the weddings of two of Barr’s daughters.

    “I didn’t know that they were that close personally,” Graham said.

    Graham also said Barr told him he has a high opinion of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, but that Rosenstein confirmed that he has been looking to leave the department after about two years in the job.
    That bolsters indications that Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel and has overseen the probe since its inception, is expected to leave after a new attorney general is confirmed.

    Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who Trump named in November, currently has ultimate authority over Mueller and the investigation. However, Rosenstein has continued to be the main Justice Department official to interact with Mueller and receive updates on the investigation.

    Graham said he told Barr to pick a deputy he’s comfortable with.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...be-graham-says





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    Graham also said Barr noted that he and Mueller have been good friends for decades.


    ​Which, to me, is cause for great concern
    The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but the newspapers."
    Thomas Jefferson

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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster View Post
    Graham also said Barr noted that he and Mueller have been good friends for decades.


    ​Which, to me, is cause for great concern

    I noticed that Merovingian in post #3 above is flinging poo poo. I think that would well below the standards of decorum of those who stood under the tree by which this forum is titled. Perhaps some harsh words were flung but no poo or pictures of poo in the extensive reading about that era that I've done.

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    I'm hoping Cohen flings some really good stuff when he testifies before the House Feb 7.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster View Post
    Graham also said Barr noted that he and Mueller have been good friends for decades.


    ​Which, to me, is cause for great concern


    It should reassure you that despite Barr's brief about the Mueller investigation; their wives being in bible study class together; Barr is not going to intervene to cut short the investigation. Barr will most likely allow the release of the investigation's findings.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Green Man View Post
    I noticed that Merovingian in post #3 above is flinging poo poo. I think that would well below the standards of decorum of those who stood under the tree by which this forum is titled. Perhaps some harsh words were flung but no poo or pictures of poo in the extensive reading about that era that I've done.
    You have a lot of nerve to talk about community standards and decorum.

    Flinging poo is all you do.

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    Why doesn't Rosenstein save everyone the bother and leave before this weekend?
    Who ever the hell he is, no one else will miss him either.
    I never heard of him until I read this post.
    I wager he is looking for his 15 minutes in the political spot light.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Idaho Bullwinkle View Post
    Who ever the hell he is, no one else will miss him either.
    I never heard of him until I read this post.
    Rod Rosenstein is Trump's appointee to the position of Deputy Director of the US Justice Department. As such he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Department. He supplied the memo use by President Trump to justify the firing of FBI Director James Comey (in spite of Comey's investigation of Clinton in the last weeks of the race that likely cost her the election.) Once Comey had been fired and then AG Jeff Sessions had recused himself from the Russia investigation, Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as Special Counsel to run the job of the investigation. As Deputy Director, Rosenstein was also responsible for overseeing investigation of the president's personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen re payments to Stormy Daniels and other matters. With the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting AG, Whitaker took over the role of supervising Special Counsel's Russia investigation.

    Rosenstein was reported to have made remarks about secretly recording conversations with the president and the usefulness of using the 25th Amendment to remove him. (Rosenstein is well known for his sarcasm.)

    That's the short version.

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