BARR IS OUT. Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen Will Be Acting AG, While Richard Donahue will be Deputy AG…

The news of Barr’s resignation comes just weeks after reports from NYTimes and others were saying Barr was planning on leaving before the end of year. It was only recently that the justice department said in a statement that Barr intended “to stay as long as President Trump needs him.”

Did Barr deliver Trump a full briefing and make Trump happy? Who is Jeff Rosen and Richard Donahue? What happens after Christmas?

Bill Barr is a Patriot. His letter to @realDonaldTrump was excellent. I believe Barr will announce major moves before 12/23 but does not want to stay to prosecute. He has done his job & served country well. New AG & assistants will prosecute the massive number of cases coming.

— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) December 14, 2020

…Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all! pic.twitter.com/V5sqOJT9PM

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020

The letter from Barr reads as follows:

Dear Mr. President,
I appreciate the opportunity to update you this afternoon on the Department’s review of voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election and how these allegations will continue to be pursued. At a time when the country is so deeply divided, it is incumbent on all levels of government, and all agencies acting within their purview, to do all we can to assure the integrity of elections and promote public confidence in their outcome.

I am greatly honored that you called on me to serve your Administration and the American people once again as Attorney General. I am proud to have played a role in the many successes and unprecedented achievements you have delivered for the American people. Your record is all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of relentless, implacable resistance. Your 2016 victory speech in which you reached out to your opponents and called for working together for the benefit of the American people was immediately met by a partisan onslaught against you in which no tactic, no matter how abusive and deceitful, was out of bounds. The nadir of this campaign was the effort to cripple, if not oust, your Administration with frenzied and baseless accusations of collusion with Russia.

Few could have weathered these attacks, much less forge ahead with a positive program for the country. You built the strongest and most resilient economy in American history 7 one that has brought unprecedented progress to those previously left out. You have restored American military strength. By brokering historic peace deals in the Mideast you have achieved what most thought impossible. You have curbed illegal immigration and enhanced the security of our nation’s borders. You have advanced the rule of law by appointing a record number of judges committed to constitutional principles. With Operation Warp Speed, you delivered a vaccine for coronavirus on a schedule no one thought conceivable — a feat that will undoubtedly save millions of lives.

During your Administration, the Department of Justice has worked tirelessly to protect the public from violent crime; worked closely with leaders in Mexico to fight the drug cartels; cracked down on China‘s exploitation of our economy and workers; defended competition in the marketplace, especially the technology sector; and supported the men and women of law enforcement who selflessly and too often thanklessly—risk their lives to keep our communities safe.

As discussed, I will spend the next week wrapping up a few remaining matters important to the Administration and depart on December 23rd.

Wishing you, Melania, and your family a Merry Christmas and a Blessed Holiday Season.

God Bless.

A little quickie on Richard Donahue. Back in early February The Justice Department picked US Attorney Richard Donoghue to oversee all Ukraine investigations.

From the Washington Examiner on February 18th, 2020:

Donoghue will “assist in coordinating … several open matters being handled by different U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department components that in some way potentially relate to Ukraine,” according to a letter sent to the House Judiciary Committee.

Donoghue, a St. John’s University School of Law graduate and Army Judge Advocate General Corps veteran, spent more than a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney and was working as the chief litigation counsel for a global tech company before becoming a U.S. attorney in 2018…

Richard Donoghue is also the former U.S. Attorney for the EDNY that indicted and prosecuted Keith Raniere of NXIVM:

As for Jeff Rosen Trump retweeted CodeMonkey who pointed out that Rosen recently wrote an essay on foreign influence in US elections:

Soon-to-be AG Rosen recently wrote an essay on foreign influence in US elections.

“foreign actors are covertly trying to undermine confidence in our elections”

“malign foreign influence efforts in our elections has been a perennial problem“https://t.co/gPIPUk7pMp

— Ron (@CodeMonkeyZ) December 15, 2020