WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. deputy attorney general who appointed a special counsel to investigate possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign, is expected to step down by mid March, a Justice Department official said on Monday.

Rosenstein had been expected to depart shortly after new Attorney General William Barr assumed office. Barr was confirmed for the role by the U.S. Senate last week.

The Justice official said Rosenstein’s departure was not related to renewed allegations that he considered wearing a wire in meetings with Trump and using the 25th amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove the president from office.

Rosenstein, the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, in May 2017 named Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign and Moscow. The investigation continues.

A registered Republican, Rosenstein made the decision because his then-boss, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a Trump supporter during the 2016 campaign, had recused himself from the issue.

Last September, the New York Times reported Rosenstein in 2017 had suggested secretly recording Trump and recruiting Cabinet members to oust the president using the provisions of the Constitution’s 25th Amendment.

In an interview broadcast on Sunday with CBS News “60 Minutes,” former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe confirmed the Times account that Rosenstein considered wearing a wire in meetings with Trump.

Rosenstein said both the Times story and McCabe’s account were “inaccurate and factually incorrect,” which a Justice Department spokeswoman reiterated after the “60 Minutes” interview.

Earlier on Monday Trump accused both McCabe and Rosenstein of planning a “very illegal act,” which he described in a tweet as “illegal and treasonous.”

Rosenstein ceased overseeing Mueller’s probe on Nov. 7 when Trump named Matt Whittaker acting attorney general.

Barr now has oversight of the investigation.

Rosenstein had attracted far more attention than is typical for the No. 2 Justice Department official because of his decision to appoint Mueller to lead the investigation eight days after Trump fired James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Trump has frequently and publicly seethed about the Mueller probe, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department, which oversees them both.

The president has denied any collusion and Russia says there was no election meddling, despite findings to the contrary by U.S. intelligence agencies.

Mueller’s investigation, which the president has repeatedly called a “witch hunt,” has so far netted 34 individuals and three companies who have pleaded guilty, been indicted or been otherwise swept up in the inquiry.</s>Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will likely be stepping down from his position in about three weeks, according to Justice Department officials.

That word comes just days after William Barr was confirmed as the new attorney general by the Senate.

Rosenstein, who has been overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, said in January that he would leave shortly after the arrival of a new attorney general but that he would stay long enough to ensure an orderly transition.</s>Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has told colleagues he plans to leave the Justice Department in mid-March, according to a Justice Department official familiar with the matter.

Jeff Rosen, the current deputy at Transportation, is newly-confirmed Attorney General William Barr’s top pick to become deputy attorney general, according to the official.

An announcement officially nominating a new deputy attorney general could come as early as this week, the official said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.</s>Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to leave the Justice Department in mid-March, according to a Justice Department official who spoke to CNN Monday.

The official disputed the idea that the timing of Rosenstein’s departure has anything to do with the latest revelations from former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, emphasizing that the plan was always that Rosenstein would help with the transition for his successor and then leave.

CNN has previously reported that Rosenstein was planning to leave his post after Barr was confirmed.

The new deputy attorney general could be announced as early as this week. As CNN has reported, Attorney General Bill Barr has selected Jeffrey Rosen as his deputy.</s>Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to leave his role at the Justice Department by mid-March, a senior DOJ official told Fox News on Monday.

Fox News reported in January that Rosenstein was expected to step down in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition for Attorney General William Barr, who was sworn in on Thursday.

This is a developing story; please check back for updates.</s>Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. deputy attorney general who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign, is expected to step down by mid March, a Justice Department official said on Monday.</s>Fox News is reporting that Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein is anticipated to resign mid-March and be replaced by a hand-picked deputy by AG William Barr. Initial reporting is that Jeffrey Rosen will be the replacement.

This timeframe would align with prior reporting that Rosenstein would exit mid-March simultaneous to the completion of the Robert Mueller investigation.

A source close to Rosenstein said he intends to stay on until Mueller submits a report to the Justice Department on the Russian meddling investigation. The source said that would mean Rosenstein would remain until early March. (link)

If accurate, Jeffrey Rosen, Barr’s choice as deputy to replace Rod Rosenstein, was an attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, Barr’s former law firm, and is currently deputy transportation secretary. Interestingly that is a connection to Mitch McConnell via Mitch’s wife Elaine Chao who is the current Transporation Secretary.

Previously Mr. Rosen served General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor for the White House Office of Management and Budget during the George W. Bush administration. Before that, he was also with the Department of Transportation, serving as General Counsel.

Rosen has a B.A. in economics and a J.D. from Harvard.</s>Attorney General Bill Barr has selected Jeffrey Rosen as his deputy attorney general, removing Rod Rosenstein from the post and anything to do with overseeing the Robert Mueller probe.

Rosenstein will be vacating the Justice Department in mid-March.

Rosenstein is expected to leave the Justice Department in mid-March, according to a Justice Department official.

The official disputed the idea that the timing of Rosenstein’s departure has anything to do with the latest revelations from former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. deputy attorney general who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign, is expected to step down by mid March, a Justice Department official said on Monday.

Rosenstein had been expected to depart shortly after new Attorney General William Barr took over. Barr was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week.</s>Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to leave the Justice Department in mid-March, according to a Justice Department official who spoke to CNN Monday.

The No. 2 official at the department has become one of the highest profile figures in the Trump administration given his oversight of the Russia investigation and the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller in 2017.

CNN had previously reported that Rosenstein was planning to step down after Bill Barr was confirmed as attorney general, but the precise timing was fluid. A departure next month could potentially serve as another signal that Mueller’s work is coming to a close.

The Justice official who confirmed Rosenstein’s current thinking disputed the idea that the timing of his departure has anything to do with the latest revelations from former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, emphasizing that the plan was always to have Rosenstein help with the transition for his successor and then leave, as Barr previewed during his Senate confirmation hearing.

McCabe has asserted Rosenstein raised the idea of wearing a wire to secretly record President Donald Trump and talked about which cabinet officials might oust him from office under the 25th Amendment. The Justice Department has said McCabe’s characterization of his conversations with Rosenstein are inaccurate.

The new deputy attorney general could be announced as early as this week. As CNN has reported, Attorney General Bill Barr has selected Jeffrey Rosen, the deputy transportation secretary, as his deputy.
United States Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is reported to be stepping down from his position in mid-March.