Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Rod RosensteinDOJ kept investigators from completing probe of Trump ties to Russia: report Five takeaways from final Senate Intel Russia report FBI officials hid copies of Russia probe documents fearing Trump interference: book MORE notified President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE on Monday that he will leave the Justice Department in two weeks, capping roughly two years in the Trump administration marked by scrutiny and controversy.

“I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity, because ‘a nation exists to serve its citizens,’” Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter. He said his last day at the Justice Department would be May 11.

ADVERTISEMENT

Rosenstein’s resignation does not come as a surprise; he was expected to leave the Justice Department following the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s investigation, having communicated to Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Hillicon Valley: DOJ proposes tech liability shield reform to Congress | Treasury sanctions individuals, groups tied to Russian malign influence activities | House Republican introduces bill to set standards for self-driving cars McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE that he intended to serve just two years in the administration.

Rosenstein’s 16-month tenure as the No. 2 law enforcement official was marked by constant drama as a result of his oversight of Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which came to a close in late March.

In a statement, Barr praised Rosenstein for serving the Justice Department "with dedication and distinction" and described Rosenstein's devotion to the department and its employees as "unparalleled."

“Rod has been an invaluable partner to me during my return to the Department, and I have relied heavily on his leadership and judgment over the past several months,” Barr said. “I have appreciated the opportunity to work closely with him, and I wish him well in his future endeavors. The Department and I will miss him.”

Rosenstein, a former U.S. attorney for the district of Maryland, was a little-known figure in Washington before joining the Trump administration under Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE, the president’s first attorney general. But he quickly attracted headlines, first for authoring the memo justifying the firing of James Comey James Brien ComeyDemocrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate Book: FBI sex crimes investigator helped trigger October 2016 public probe of Clinton emails Trump jabs at FBI director over testimony on Russia, antifa MORE as FBI director and later for his decision to appoint Mueller as special counsel.

Rosenstein oversaw Mueller’s investigation as a result of Sessions’s own recusal and endured massive public attention as well as some attacks from Trump over the course of the investigation.

The duration of Rosenstein’s career in the administration was also called into question last fall when The New York Times reported that he had discussed secretly recording Trump and recruiting other officials to invoke the 25th Amendment to expel Trump from office. Rosenstein vehemently denied the report as inaccurate; Trump himself said he didn’t believe it, electing to keep Rosenstein on in his job.

Rosenstein wrote in the letter to Trump on Monday that the Justice Department has made “rapid progress” in achieving his law enforcement agenda in the first two years of the Trump administration, including reducing violent crime and opioid abuse and cracking down on illegal immigration.

“Our nation is safer, our elections are more secure, and our citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence efforts and schemes to commit fraud, steal intellectual property, and launch cyberattacks,” Rosenstein wrote.

“We also pursued illegal leaks, investigated credible allegations of employee misconduct, and accommodated congressional oversight without compromising law enforcement interests,” he wrote.

Rosenstein’s official departure will come just shy of a month after the release of Mueller’s redacted report, which said the special counsel did not find conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Moscow but explicitly did not exonerate Trump on allegations of obstruction of justice.

Mueller did not reach a conclusion one way or another on whether the president obstructed the Russia probe, but Barr and Rosenstein reviewed the evidence detailed in his report and deemed it insufficient to accuse Trump of obstruction.

Barr is scheduled to testify before the House and Senate this week on Mueller's investigation and report.