NYT: Rachel Brand No. 3 Justice Dept. Official Stepping Down
The U.S. Justice Department's third-ranking official  Rachel Brand  plans to step down after just nine months on the job  the New York Times reported on Friday  at a time when  President Donald Trump  has taken aim at senior law enforcement officials.
Brand was next in line of succession to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for oversight of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between  Trump 's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia and whether  the Republican president  has unlawfully sought to obstruct the ongoing probe.
Brand's resignation is the latest sign of turmoil at U.S. law enforcement agencies  which have come under sustained attack by  Trump  and  his  Republican allies in recent months. The Times reported that Brand will resign  citing two people briefed on her decision.
News of her departure comes a week after  Trump  approved the release of a previously classified memo written by Republican lawmakers that portrayed the Russia investigation  initially handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and now headed by Mueller  as a product of political bias against  Trump  at the Justice Department and FBI.
 Trump  also has criticized Sessions for recusing  himself .
On Feb. 2  just hours before  Trump  approved the release of the Republican memo  Sessions offered praise for Rosenstein  the department's No. 2 official  and Brand  saying they "represent the kind of quality and leadership that we want in the department."
The U.S. Justice Department's third-ranking official  Rachel Brand  plans to step down after just nine months on the job  the New York Times reported on Friday  at a time when   [TGT] has taken aim at senior law enforcement officials.
Brand was next in line of succession to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for oversight of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between  Trump 's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia and whether  the Republican president  has unlawfully sought to obstruct the ongoing probe.
Brand's resignation is the latest sign of turmoil at U.S. law enforcement agencies  which have come under sustained attack by  Trump  and  his  Republican allies in recent months. The Times reported that Brand will resign  citing two people briefed on her decision.
News of her departure comes a week after   [TGT] approved the release of a previously classified memo written by Republican lawmakers that portrayed the Russia investigation  initially handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and now headed by Mueller  as a product of political bias against  Trump  at the Justice Department and FBI.
  [TGT] also has criticized Sessions for recusing   [TGT]  .
On Feb. 2  just hours before   [TGT]   approved the release of the Republican memo  Sessions offered praise for Rosenstein  the department's No. 2 official  and Brand  saying they "represent the kind of quality and leadership that we want in the department."