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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met with reporters for about a half-hour Wednesday to discuss the Justice Department's decision to reverse an Obama-era policy. | Zach Gibson/Getty Images Rosenstein rebuffs questions on Trump-Russia probe

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein turned down opportunities Wednesday to discuss the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia, including a question about whether he has a conflict of interest overseeing the probe because of his role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Rosenstein met with reporters for about a half-hour Wednesday to discuss the Justice Department's decision to reverse an Obama-era policy and resume allowing local law enforcement to use federal agencies to seize assets suspected to be involved in crime.

At the outset of the session, the No. 2 Justice Department official said he wouldn't take any off-topic questions. And when asked on two occasions to talk about the Trump-Russia probe, Rosenstein declined.

"We’re going to have to move on to the next question. I’m not going to be talking about that. It’s not asset forfeiture," he said after a Washington Post reporter asked how Rosenstein could help supervise a probe where he may be a witness.

And when asked by a Bloomberg reporter to comment generally on the investigation, Rosenstein again declined.

"If I answered the Post’s question, I wouldn’t have gotten to talk about asset forfeiture at all. So, I'm not going to answer that," the deputy attorney general said.

After Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from election-related investigations, Rosenstein made the decision in May to name former FBI Director Robert Mueller to conduct a criminal investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian officials or agents during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Sessions' recusal and Rosenstein's decision to appoint a special prosecutor angered President Donald Trump, according to the president's aides and allies. Rosenstein was also said to have protested the White House's description of his role in Comey's firing, although he publicly denied threatening to resign over the issue.

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Despite those reported tensions, Rosenstein projected an upbeat demeanor Wednesday, insisting that he's enjoying the role he assumed after nearly 12 years as the top federal prosecutor in Maryland.

"I like my job. I'm very happy to have this job," the DOJ No. 2 said. "I'm proud to be working in the Department of Justice……it’s a great honor and privilege for me."

Some experts have argued it is inevitable that Rosenstein will have to cede his role overseeing Mueller's investigation.

Rosenstein said in an interview last month that he was open to recusing himself if it became necessary.

“I’ve talked with Director Mueller about this,” Rosenstein told the Associated Press. “He’s going to make the appropriate decisions, and if anything that I did winds up being relevant to his investigation then, as Director Mueller and I discussed, if there’s a need from me to recuse I will.”