Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is reportedly set to exit the Justice Department sometime next month.
CNN, Fox News, Reuters and other news outlets all reported a time frame for Rosenstein’s departure of mid-March, citing a Department of Justice official.
{mosads}Rosenstein had until recently been overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election after then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself.
Attorney General William Barr, who was confirmed last week, is now in charge of the Mueller probe.
Rosenstein has been a favorite target of criticism from President Trump, who has frequently referred to Mueller’s probe as a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”
Reports of Rosenstein’s pending exit comes just days after former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired following an internal probe, said Rosenstein brought up the idea of wearing a wire around the president shortly after his inauguration.
In a lengthy interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, McCabe said Rosenstein had also discussed invoking the 25th Amendment in order to remove Trump from office.
Rosenstein has denied McCabe’s version of events.
A Justice Department official reportedly says the timing of Rosenstein’s exit is unrelated to McCabe’s recent remarks.
Monday morning, Trump posted on Twitter saying McCabe and Rosenstein “look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught.”
Barr has reportedly selected Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to serve as his deputy attorney general to replace Rosenstein. Rosen reportedly could be announced in the new role next week.