After May 11, public service is going to have to do without Rod Rosenstein and both of his faces. Nothing becomes Rod Rosenstein's job like the leaving of it.
Did you read his letter of resignation? Sycophantic hardly does it justice; as bizarre a take on Trump as you'll read anywhere...….with the exception of some of the more hallucinatory and more foolish posts here, that one can suffer not gladly.
Rod Rosenstein's Letter of Resignation Capped Off His Tenure Perfectly
The deputy attorney general was frequently schizoid in the job—but ended it a Trump loyalist.
After May 11, public service is going to have to do without Rod Rosenstein and both of his faces. From NPR:
Rosenstein's fate had been clear since a blockbuster story in The New York Times described discussions early in Rosenstein's tenure about potentially removing or secretly recording Trump — something Rosenstein said he never actually authorized.
Nonetheless, the deputy attorney general was embarrassed and expected to be fired, sources at the Justice Department said. Instead, Trump kept Rosenstein on but passed him over, twice.
When Trump forced out then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he appointed Sessions' chief of staff as acting attorney general, not Rosenstein, the Senate-confirmed deputy.
He was involved in developing the administration's casus belli against then-FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in May of that year. Rosenstein then appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to continue the FBI's investigation into the Russian government's attack on the 2016 presidential election and whether anyone in Trump's campaign conspired with it.
Mueller concluded his work without charging anyone with conspiring with the Russian interference. Trump called the investigation a "hoax" and blasted the Justice Department — and Rosenstein.
Rosenstein's performance was as schizoid as possible as often as possible. Since the release of the redacted Mueller report, however, he found a comfortable place within the White House toolbox.
He gave a weird speech in which he blamed everyone else except the president* and his crew for the Russian ratfcking of the 2016 election.
And, in his resignation letter itself, he blew a kiss at El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago on his way out the door.
As I submit my resignation effective 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, education, and prosperity "because a nation exists to serve its citizens."
I expect that this will be one of the only times down through posterity that the bad inaugural horror novella will be quoted except as a punchline, but you have to give Rosenstein one thing—he finished his tenure as one of the most stalwart lawn ornaments at 1600 Pennsylvania. That's some gold-plated, master-class truckling right there. Nothing becomes Rod Rosenstein's job like the leaving of it.
And when Trump decided to nominate a permanent replacement for Sessions, he looked outside the administration and asked former Attorney General William Barr to return. Barr took his oath of office on Valentine's Day. As the new leader of the Justice Department, Barr was entitled to select his own deputy — he and Trump nominated Jeffrey Rosen — leaving no room for Rosenstein.
Now, there is absolutely no way that the Democratic members of the Senate should do anything to facilitate the confirmation of Rosenstein's replacement—at least not as long as the lapdog attorney general is ignoring congressional subpoenas.
Rosenstein himself should be subpoenaed by every House committee except, possibly, Science, Space, and Technology. And, ultimately, Barr should be hauled into the committee room in irons, if necessary.
“As I submit my resignation effective 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, because “a nation exists to serve its citizens.” The Department of Justice pursues those goals while operating in accordance with the rule of law. The rule of law is the foundation of America. It secures our freedom, allows our citizens to flourish, and enables our nation to serve as a model of liberty and justice for all.”
— An actual quote from Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein’s resignation letter