Rod Rosenstein Gets Break From Stressful Day Job — With Supreme Grilling
Rod Rosenstein Image by Getty Images
Only for embattled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein could a half hour of tough questioning from U.S. Supreme Court justices be seen as a break from his stressful day job.
That is what happened on Monday for Rosenstein, who oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia and the 2016 U.S. election, and has been frequently criticized by President Donald Trump.
Rosenstein, the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, argued on behalf of Trump’s administration in a case involving the sentencing of a legal immigrant from Mexico on drug-related charges.
Dressed in the traditional long-tailed jacket that government lawyers wear at the high court, Rosenstein tussled with the justices over convicted drug dealer Adaucto Chavez-Meza’s bid to reduce his sentence by six months. It was the experienced prosecutor’s first argument at the high court.
Rosenstein appeared comfortable, occasionally looking down at his notes, as he parried tough questions from both ideological wings of the court.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts were among those who expressed some doubts about Rosenstein’s argument. It was not clear how the court will rule, with a decision due by the end of June.—Reuters
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
