Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeff Rosen is an experienced attorney with a deep resume. | Department of Transportation via AP Justice Department DOT’s Rosen tapped as deputy attorney general

Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeff Rosen will be nominated as the next deputy attorney general, ending his stint as the second-in-command at the Transportation Department.

The White House announced his nomination, which has been rumored for weeks, on Tuesday evening. Rosen will replace Rod Rosenstein, who is stepping down next month amid continuing turmoil over ongoing Justice Department probes into allegations involving President Donald Trump and his aides' involvement with Russia.


Rosen is an experienced attorney with a deep resume, including prior stints in previous administrations as well as time in the private sector. He was easily confirmed to the post at DOT, though his confirmation hearing was not without some headaches from Democrats who mostly were concerned about his past stances on climate change and environmental issues.

As DOT deputy secretary, he was in charge of day-to-day operations, a role in which he led deregulatory efforts, including the push to roll back the Obama administration’s fuel efficiency rules. He also was involved with grant decisions .

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He also criticized Senate Democrats (most of whom had opposed his confirmation) for holding up the nomination of Federal Railroad Administration chief Ronald Batory. New York and New Jersey lawmakers had delayed Batory’s confirmation because of the administration’s opposition to the contentious "Gateway" project to construct a new rail tunnel under New York's Hudson River.

He has been in the number two role at DOT since he was confirmed by the Senate in May 2017. Before that, he had been general counsel at DOT and at the Office of Management and Budget during the George W. Bush administration. He’s also worked at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where he briefly overlapped with new attorney general William Barr.