President Trump suggested Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein participated in the planning of “a very illegal act” against him. He suggested Rosenstein was a “totally conflicted” overseer of the Russia investigation. He flirted with firing him, saying he had the right to do so “absolutely.” And he regularly derided him as a Democrat from Baltimore, even though neither was true; Rosenstein is a Republican from Pennsylvania.
On Monday, after spending the last few weeks defending and lending his credibility to Attorney General William P. Barr’s handling of the end of the Russia probe, Rosenstein announced his resignation with a distinctly pro-Trump message.
In his resignation letter announcing his May 11 exit, Rosenstein praised Trump’s inaugural message two years ago and said he was grateful “for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations.” He even signed off by borrowing Trump’s political slogan, saying, “We keep the faith, we follow the rules, and we always put America first.”
View the complete April 29 article by Aaron Blake on The Washington Post website here.