By Steve Neavling
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen will succeed outgoing Attorney General William Barr after President Trump announced Barr’s resignation in a tweet Monday afternoon.
In his letter to Trump, Barr said he was “greatly honored” to serve in the administration and would step down on Dec. 23.
The resignation came amid escalating tensions between Barr and Trump, who accused his attorney general of disloyalty for failing to publicly disclose the Justice Department’s investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden. Trump also criticized Barr for refusing to parrot baseless claims of widespread election fraud.
In a tweet, Trump called Rosen “an outstanding person.”
Rosen, who has no prior experience as a prosecutor, was confirmed along party lines to the No. 2 spot in May 2019. Before joining the Justice Department, Rosen, 62, spent much of his career in the private sector but also worked for government agencies, including the Transportation Department and Office of Management and Budget.
During his time as deputy attorney general, Rosen took leading roles in cases against Google and Purdue Pharma LP.
In 1979, Rosen graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor of arts degree in economics. In 1982, he graduated from Harvard Law School.
