Rod Rosenstein resigns – First Deputy Prosecutor General of the United States and the main responsible for the investigation of Russiagate.
He submitted his resignation letter to the White House and intends to leave the post in the Department of Justice until May 11. Attorney General William Barr praised Rosenstein for his work and “commitment to legal ethics.”
By the end of Rosenstein’s career, his attitude to the Trump administration has improved significantly. Still, the investigation of Robert Muller, which he brought to the end, justified the President and his closest associates.
But this does not mean that Rosenstein was some kind of positive character. After all, in May 2017, after the dismissal of James Komi at a meeting in the Department of Justice, he proposed using the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump from power. And Rosenstein intended to take with him a microphone to record conversations with Trump in the Oval Office.
De facto, it was then a conspiracy of bureaucrats from the Department of Justice, appointed by the previous administration, against the newly elected US President. Therefore, it is not surprising that Trump and his supporters have so actively and actively criticized Rosenstein.
After Jeff Session was removed from the Russiagate investigation, it was Rosenstein who was given full control of the case. Robert Muller, who was nominated by him for the position of special prosecutor, received the broadest powers. He could, for example, engage not only in investigating the actual “conspiracy”, but also in studying financial documents or lobbying, which had nothing to do with the essence of the matter.
If in the past special prosecutors were strictly limited in powers, then Muller had no such problem. Rosenstein gave him a complete blank check: investigate what you want, and then we will determine whether it is worth taking it to court or not.
That’s how Trump’s associates: Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Roger Stone, ended up in court. None of them was accused of the notorious “conspiracy”. Their legal problems had nothing to do with Russiagate. But at the same time, Muller spent most of his time on their investigation.
Rosenstein leaves, taking advantage of the moment after the publication of the Muller report. Of course, he is unlikely to ever go on trial for his activities. But his reputation for life will be spoiled.