Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein reportedly to leave Justice Department after new AG is confirmed

As reported here via Reuters, "Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has overseen the Russian election meddling probe, is preparing to leave the U.S. Department of Justice in coming weeks as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the department is set to take over, a department official said on Wednesday." Here is more:

William Barr, Trump’s pick to replace Sessions who was fired soon after the November midterm congressional elections, is set to appear for a confirmation hearing next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which must weigh his nomination before the full Senate considers his approval.

The official, who asked not to be named since no announcement has been made, said there is no specific plan for Rosenstein’s departure and that he plans to leave sometime after Barr’s confirmation.

If confirmed, Barr, who was U.S. Attorney General under the late President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993, would oversee the investigation led by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a fellow Republican chosen by Rosenstein. Barr’s nomination is likely to meet heavy scrutiny regarding the ongoing investigation, particularly from Democrats, following reports he had written a memo in June questioning the probe. Rosenstein has said the memo had no impact on the department’s work.

Rosenstein will stay on to ensure smooth transition with Barr, the official said, adding that he has seen his job as deputy as a two-year stint and is not being forced out.

Asked about Rosenstein’s departure, first reported by ABC News, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said she had not spoken to Rosenstein and would leave any announced departures to him or the president. “Certainly, I don’t think there’s any willingness by the president or the White House to push him out,” Sanders told Fox News in an interview.

Rosenstein has stayed on under Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, whose controversial appointment has sparked numerous legal challenges and raised questions about what role he would play regarding the investigation.

Rosenstein has been frequently criticized by Trump, who calls the Russia investigation a “witch hunt” and denies any collusion with Moscow. Russia has also denied any election interference.

As this reporting highlights, most media and pundits are likely to discuss the Russia investigation as they assess DAG Rosenstein's coming departure and the likely confirmation of AG-nominee Barr.  But serious criminal justice fans know that a new Attorney General and now a new Deputy Attorney General are critically important players in shaping the Justice Department's work on dynamic federal criminal justice issues ranging from marijuana reform to implementation of the FIRST STEP Act to future work by the US Sentencing Commission and so much more.