Rosenstein used his six-minute address to pay homage to Trump by citing one of his most polarizing speeches: the inaugural address where he railed against "carnage" in the streets of America. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Rosenstein stays loyal to Trump in NAACP speech The deputy attorney general ignores Trump's slams of Sessions.

BALTIMORE — As President Donald Trump continued to excoriate Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tuesday, Sessions' deputy demonstrated his loyalty to Trump by taking the administration's message to a very tough crowd: a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People annual convention.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein spoke just hours after Trump tweeted out his latest attack on Sessions, faulting the attorney general for "a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes...& Intel leakers!"


Rosenstein used his six-minute address to pay homage to Trump by citing one of his most polarizing speeches: the inaugural address where he railed against "carnage" in the streets of America.

"In President Trump’s inaugural address, he said that Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands," Rosenstein said.

Rosenstein got a tepid reaction from the group, with organizers exhorting the crowd to give him more applause both as he took the stage and as he wrapped up.

The chilly reaction was driven by the NAACP's opposition to many of the Trump Administration's criminal justice policies, including an effort to ramp up drug sentences by invoking mandatory minimums in more cases.

"Our goal is not to fill prisons. Our goal is to save lives," Rosenstein said, as his comments were interrupted by a smattering of applause.

Rosenstein spoke proudly of his record during 12 years as the U.S. Attorney in Maryland, cracking down on gang members responsible for violence in Baltimore.

In his speech, Rosenstein said nothing about Trump's extraordinary public taunting of Sessions, whom Trump labeled as "beleaguered" in a tweet Monday. However, the deputy attorney general did draw attention to Sessions' anti-crime efforts.

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Rosenstein announced that a crime reduction task force set up by Sessions will deliver a preliminary report this week. "We need to have the courage to get serious about crime,...We are developing new programs and strategies to work better with communities," the deputy AG said. "The attorney general and I share your goals. Let's work together."

While Sessions regularly warns against demeaning police and he says little about the dangers posed by police abuses, Rosenstein took a slightly different tack Tuesday, citing his work prosecuting corrupt police.

"Cases like that are extremely important but those corrupt officers do not represent all police. Most offices are honorable people ... We need them to be role models. They have a special responsibility to follow the rules. At the same time, citizens have an obligation to show respect for the police. Building a good relationship is a two-way street," Rosenstein said.

Some in the crowd expressed puzzlement at the ongoing drama between Trump and Sessions

"Why doesn't he just fire him?" Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) asked as he spoke with a POLITICO reporter on the way into Tuesday's session. "If he's lost confidence in him, he could just say so and he would resign ... At some point, you ought to get the hint and resign."

If Trump were to oust Sessions, it would meet a demand of many African-American activists. Just Monday, the Congressional Black Caucus called for Sessions' resignation, calling him "unfit to serve" and arguing that he gave the Senate false information about his meetings with Russian officials during last year's campaign.

Scott said he's curious whether the House and Senate will go into recess in August and allow Trump the chance to install a new attorney general via a recess appointment that would not require Senate confirmation.

In recent years, the Senate has attempted to avert such moves by meeting briefly every few days during recess periods. However, Scott said it would be embarrassing if Republicans decided they need to rein in their own president.

"It would be insulting to suggest they need the protection of the president of their own party," Scott said. "It would say a lot if they refused to recess."

Rosenstein is the only senior Trump administration official who addressed the group. Trump turned down an invitation to speak.

“My understanding is that the invitation has been declined for this year, but certainly the invitation for dialogue with that group would happily take place, and we would certainly like to be able to continue to do that,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last week.

NAACP officials issued statements thanking the No.2 Justice official for coming, but noting their policy differences and Trump's absence.

“The NAACP welcomes Deputy A.G. Rosenstein to our convention with the open hand of friendship,” said Interim President and CEO Derrick Johnson.

“Unfortunately, under the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Department of Justice has been working to erode the progress made in the past eight years and dismantle policies that benefitted the African-American community. Since President Trump declined to speak at this year’s convention, we are hopeful that Deputy A.G. Rosenstein conveys to the President and the Attorney General the concerns we have about the direction of the judicial system in this country.”

NAACP Board Chairman Leon Russell said he was "gratified" that Rosenstein showed up. "Though we haven’t agreed with the policies set by the head of this Justice Department, we appreciate the effort made by Deputy A.G. Rosenstein to come to our members and speak before them today," Russell said.

Despite the cordial tone from NAACP leaders, speakers who took to the stage after Rosenstein Tuesday sharply disagreed with some of his remarks.

“Stop talking to us about the mythology of black crime," Rev. William Barber II said as many in the audience stood and cheered. "If you’re going to talk to us about black crime, talk to use about the Wall Street criminals that never get charged."

Many of those who addressed the convention Tuesday railed against the Trump administration and its efforts to repeal Obamacare.

"Stop texting lies. Stop telling lies. Stop turning people against each other with lies," said Barber, a leader of the Moral Monday movement in North Carolina. "Until you stop, we can’t move.”

"It gets dark sometime, but let nothing break our spirit," Rev. Jesse Jackson told the group. "Stand up. March up. We will outlast Trump and we will outlast this dark night."