Rosenstein still working at DOJ despite plans to leave in mid-March

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will remain at the Justice Department longer than expected after initially planning to leave in mid-March, according to several media reports.

Rosenstein was widely expected to leave the department by the middle of this month after Attorney General William Barr’s confirmation.

{mosads}Barr took control of overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference from Rosenstein after Barr replaced former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself in 2017 from matters relating to Russia’s interference efforts.

Shortly thereafter, Rosenstein said his time at the Justice Department was “coming to an end” in a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania.

But Mueller’s probe, which is widely expected to end soon, is continuing — and so is Rosenstein’s time at the Justice Department. 

Rosenstein has not yet submitted his two weeks’ notice and has reached an arrangement with Barr to stay on longer, according to a report by Fox News. Justice Department sources told Fox News that Rosenstein remains the primary liaison between the department and the special counsel’s office. Hearings on a replacement for Rosenstein are scheduled for April.

CNN separately reported that Rosenstein is staying on at the Justice Department. 

Rosenstein has been a target of President Trump and his allies in recent months after former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe claimed he and Rosenstein discussed potentially removing Trump from office under the 25th Amendment. Rosenstein has denied McCabe’s statements. 

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said last week that the committee will investigate the remarks and asked Barr for documents relating to the conversation.