BREAKING NEWS

U.S. official Rosenstein, overseeing Russia probe, set to leave

Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has overseen the Russian election meddling probe, is preparing to leave the US Department of Justice in coming weeks as President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the department is set to take over, a department official said on Wednesday.
Rosenstein has had oversight of the US Special Counsel's probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible connections to Trump's campaign. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an early Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, had recused himself.
William Barr, Trump's pick to replace Sessions who was fired soon after the November midterm congressional elections, is set to appear for a confirmation hearing next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which must weigh his nomination before the full Senate considers his approval.
The official, who asked not to be named since no announcement has been made, said there is no specific plan for Rosenstein's departure and that he plans to leave sometime after Barr's confirmation.
If confirmed, Barr, who was US Attorney General under the late President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993, would oversee the investigation led by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a fellow Republican chosen by Rosenstein.