Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has now submitted his resignation letter to Donald Trump. He intends to leave on May 11.
“I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education and prosperity,” Mr. Rosenstein wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Rosenstein's departure is expected. He had previously indicated his intent to stay on only until the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election tampering during the 2016 presidential elections.
Rosenstein has come under harsh criticism for his actions during and after the release of Mueller's report, and especially for the decision by he and Attorney General William Barr to override Mueller's apparent efforts to refer the Trump obstruction case to Congress as a potentially impeachable matter. Instead, Barr and Rosenstein took it upon themselves to determine that Trump had not committed a crime. Rosenstein lashed out in response to those critics, attacking both the press and the Obama administration in a recent speech.