News Analysis 🔎 | Over the past month, there has been an inversion of people’s opinions of #RodRosenstein.

Those who praised him are now claiming he has been running interference for President Trump, while his critics have begun to reassess his actions. theepochtimes.com/as-rosenstein-…

#Rosenstein submitted his resignation letter to the president on April 29, with an effective date of May 11.

Rosenstein had previously discussed his intent to resign from his post when a new #AttorneyGeneral was confirmed, following the resignation of @JeffSessions…

…After the appointment of #WilliamBarr as #AttorneyGeneral in February, however, #Rosenstein stayed on to assist #Barr in guiding him through the #MuellerReport.

Rosenstein had knowledge of the more intimate details of the case and its underlying focus.

#Barr delivered his principal conclusions letter to Congress. He noted that the #SpecialCounsel found #NoCollusion, but also noted that the special counsel didn’t draw a conclusion regarding obstruction.

Barr told Congress he and #Rosenstein jointly concluded that the evidence…

… presented by #Mueller didn’t “establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”

#Barr later noted that “the Deputy Attorney General and I disagreed with some of the #SpecialCounsel’s legal theories.”

Read Barr's speech: justice.gov/opa/speech/att…

In other words, Rosenstein not only had a direct hand in determining that Trump hadn’t obstructed justice, but also disagreed with some of the #SpecialCounsel’s findings.

A few days later, #Rosenstein gave a speech in which he defended his handling of the Mueller investigation:

“I did pledge to do it right and take it to the appropriate conclusion. I did not promise to report all results to the public… It is not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges.”

#Rosenstein pointed a finger at the @BarackObama admin, noting they “chose not to publicize the full story about Russian computer hackers and social media trolls, and how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America.”

He also had choice words for @FBI and @Comey:

#Rosenstein had earlier come to #Barr’s defense, telling @WSJ that Barr was “being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that he’s trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre.”

But it was Rosenstein’s resignation letter that caught people’s attention.

#Rosenstein’s letter prompted no shortage of reactions, including one from former US Attorney @PreetBharara, who wrote on Twitter, “This is just plain weird,” in response to Rosenstein thanking Trump.

https://twitter.com/PreetBharara/status/1123010520880164864

#Rosenstein has proven himself to be a polarizing figure.

According to some, he was part of the problem in #Washington, actively working against Trump’s admin. To others, he occupied a slightly greyer area—not actively bad, but not to be trusted either.

Then there are those…

…who see #Rosenstein as something of a quiet hero—a man who intentionally wrested control of the #RussiaInvestigation away from the @FBI and operated with honorable, or at least fully legal, intentions.

Rosenstein, if you believed the many reports from the media, was the most…

… “about-to-be-fired” deputy #AttorneyGeneral this nation has ever had. But he was never fired.

An argument sometimes used by those who view #Rosenstein poorly is that he was “coerced” by either @realDonaldTrump or #Barr into staying and was doing as asked. But this coercion…

… theory flies in the face of logic. #Rosenstein was responsible for overseeing the #MuellerInvestigation for most of its duration.

Any measure of coercion placed onto Rosenstein would inherently invalidate Rosenstein’s ruling.

#Rosenstein, who was confirmed as deputy attorney general on April 25, 2017, was involved in a number of controversial matters that took place during a chaotic period in the early days of the Trump admin.

The first major event that transpired was the firing of @Comey.

Rosenstein wrote the recommendation letter, titled “Restoring Public Confidence in the FBI,” that would be used by Trump to fire @Comey.

Media outlets claimed #Rosenstein didn’t want to write the memo, and former @FBI Deputy Director #AndrewMcCabe alleged the letter wasn’t…

… #Rosenstein’s idea and he regretted doing so.

But there are problems with that line of reasoning, not the least of which is that #McCabe, who was fired from the @FBI for lying under oath to the inspector general multiple times, is currently involved in #GrandJury proceedings.

Although #McCabe claimed #Rosenstein was upset over supposedly having to write the memo, #DOJ spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Rosenstein was upset that McCabe had failed to reveal the existence of an entirely different set of memos—written by @Comey.

Rosenstein testified: “I learned that President Trump intended to remove Director Comey…Notwithstanding my personal affection for Director Comey, I thought it was appropriate to seek a new leader.”

As for the memo, Rosenstein said: “I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it.”

#Rosenstein had thought @Comey needed to be removed as @FBI director long before the president took action to fire him.

He discussed removing Comey with @JeffSessions:

#Rosenstein has been pilloried for his appointment of #Mueller as #SpecialCounsel, but it is worth examining how that appointment occurred.

2 days after @Comey was fired, #McCabe testified before the #SenateIntel Committee, agreed to notify the committee “of any effort…

… to interfere with the FBI’s ongoing investigation into links between Russia and the Trump campaign,” and told members of #Congress that there had been “no effort to impede our investigation to date.”

McCabe, however, failed to inform the committee that he was actively…

… considering opening an #ObstructionOfJustice probe into Trump—a path that he would initiate in a meeting with #Rosenstein just 5 days later.

On May 16, 2017, Rosenstein allegedly suggested to #McCabe that he could secretly record Trump. The allegations against Rosenstein…

… came only from #McCabe, who had been fired for lying to the #DOJ’s inspector general 3 separate times while under oath.

An unnamed participant at the meeting, in comments to @WashingtonPost, framed the conversation between McCabe & #Rosenstein in an entirely different light…

… noting #Rosenstein had responded with angry sarcasm to #McCabe, saying, “What do you want to do, Andy, wire the president?”

Sometime later that same day, both Rosenstein and Trump met with former @FBI Director #RobertMueller concerning the @FBI director position.

The idea that #Mueller would be considered for the @FBI director role seems unlikely.

By law, an FBI director is allowed to serve for only 10 years, and Mueller had already received a special exemption during the #Obama admin to serve for 2 more years.

#Rosenstein appointed #Mueller as #SpecialCounsel the following day, removing control of the Trump–Russia investigation from #McCabe and put it into the hands of #Mueller.

With the appointment of Mueller, it also appeared an attempt by the @FBI under McCabe to re-engage with…

… former #British intelligence officer #ChristopherSteele, who authored the @HillaryClinton- and @DNC-funded #SteeleDossier, abruptly ended.

#Rosenstein leaves office on May 11, after over 2 tumultuous years of service.

He faced immense criticism and no small amount of pressure. And despite ongoing reports of his imminent firing, Rosenstein is leaving of his own accord with the #MuellerInvestigation concluded.
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