Deputy Attorney General (2017-2019); appointed Mueller as Special Counsel
Background
Rod Rosenstein served as Deputy Attorney General from April 2017 to May 2019. A career DOJ prosecutor, he served as U.S. Attorney for Maryland under both Democratic and Republican administrations before his appointment. Rosenstein wrote the memorandum citing James Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation as the justification for firing Comey, though he later testified that the decision to fire Comey had already been made and he was asked to provide the rationale. Five days after the Comey firing, Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as Special Counsel. Rosenstein later signed off on FISA surveillance applications related to the investigation.
