Post by bohica9 on Feb 9, 2018 17:53:48 GMT -5
Justice Department’s No. 3 official, who’s in the potential running to take over Russia probe, reportedly steps down
Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand is planning to step down, according to sources.
Chris Sommerfeldt
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Friday, February 9, 2018, 5:43 PM
Rachel Brand, the Justice Department official in the pipeline to potentially assume oversight of the Mueller investigation, is expected to step down after just nine months on the job, according to a report.
Brand, who's the department's No. 3 as associate attorney general, has come into the public spotlight in recent weeks since she's the most senior official under Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Rosenstein currently oversees Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between President Trump's campaign and the Russian government, and Trump has flouted the possibility of firing him. If Trump followed through on firing Rosenstein, Brand would take over responsibility for Mueller's expanding probe.
But, amid Trump's recent attacks against the Justice Department, two people familiar with the matter told the New York Times that Brand plans to resign.
Trump wants to meet with Mueller despite lawyers' warnings
Brand's leaving for a job as general counsel in the private sector, the sources said. She has held consecutive Justice Department positions over the past three administrations.
A Justice Department spokeswoman did not return a request for comments from the Daily News.
Brand is the most senior official under Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Brand is the most senior official under Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
In her current position, Brand reports directly to Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from the Russia probe last year.
Trump has ramped up his criticism of the Justice Department and the FBI in recent weeks, demanding that officials face consequences for the "disgrace" they've supposedly caused.
Lawyers urge President Trump to not meet with Robert Mueller
The President's harsh rebukes came in light of the release of a controversial GOP-penned memo that alleges that Justice Department and FBI officials used unverified information to obtain a surveillance warrant on ex-Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Brand, who currently oversees the department's civil rights and antitrust divisions, has become embroiled in the scandal, as she is among a number of senior officials who urged Trump to not declassify the four-page memo, citing "grave concerns" about its accuracy.