Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller’s probe, plans to leave in the coming weeks

Jan. 9, 2019, 12:24 PM GMT / Updated Jan. 9, 2019, 12:56 PM GMT

By Allan Smith

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein plans to leave the Department of Justice once William Barr, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, is confirmed, an administration official told NBC News.

That person said Trump was not forcing out Rosenstein. Instead, the deputy attorney general had long planned to serve about two years.

Rosenstein’s intentions were first reported by ABC News. He did not respond to questions Wednesday morning.

Rosenstein has come under fire from the president after he appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and oversaw his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian officials.

The deputy attorney general oversaw the probe because former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from all matters related to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. After Trump ousted Sessions late last year, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker took over the responsibility. Whitaker, who was publicly critical of the Mueller probe, refused to recuse himself from oversight.

Trump appeared to accuse Rosenstein of treason late last year when he retweeted a meme of many prominent Democrats and ex-Justice Department figures, in addition to Mueller and Rosenstein, behind bars.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.