Rod Rosenstein, the former high-ranking Justice Department official who oversaw ex-special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, has joined law firm King & Spalding, the firm announced Wednesday.
Mr. Rosenstein will serve as a partner in the firm’s Special Matters & Government Investigations team.
“Rod Rosenstein is an exceptional trial lawyer, strategist and leader with unquestioned integrity and toughness,” said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding. “His arrival underscores the firm’s longstanding commitment to effective advocacy on the most complex and highest-stakes government-related matters.”
The position is Mr. Rosenstein’s first in private practice after nearly three decades in leadership positions at the Department of Justice. He has served in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Mr. Rosenstein is perhaps best known for his tumultuous two-year stint as deputy attorney general, where he oversaw the Mueller probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
That role made him a frequent target of Mr. Trump and his allies who viewed him as a deep state bureaucrat out to undermine the president. Media outlets routinely speculated if Mr. Rosenstein would keep his job.
Much of the ire aimed at Mr. Rosenstein from the president’s supporters dissipated after he joined Attorney General William P. Barr in concluding Mr. Trump did not obstruct justice.
Mr. Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether the president sought to obstruct the Russia probe, punting the decision to the two highest-ranking Justice Department officials.
Prior to becoming the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, Mr. Rosenstein was the longest-serving Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney in history. He was the U.S. attorney for Maryland from 2005 to 2017, reporting to presidents from both parties.
In his new position at King & Spalding, Mr. Rosenstien will assist corporate and institutional clients in legal challenges involving government agencies, legislatures or state attorneys general.
The group already boasts an all-star roster of former top senior Justice Department officials, including former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, former U.S. Attorneys John Horn and Zachary Fardon and former Deputy Associate Attorney General Alicia O’Brien.
Former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also recently joined the firm.
Mr. Rosenstein said the firm’s deep bench played a role in his decision.
“I worked with many current and former firm lawyers in both Republican and Democratic administrations, and I learned that some of the best lawyers in the world work at King & Spalding,” he said in a statement. “When considering where to go after leaving the Department of Justice, it became clear to me why so many former government officials choose this firm.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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