You can cancel anytime. It came hours after the department filed a lawsuit signed by Mr. Hunt against President Trump’s former national security adviser John R. Bolton. I was in the courtroom that day, and when Francisco made his claim that Trump had rescinded his promise of a Muslim ban, I saw a puzzled look flash across the liberal justices’ faces. If and when Rosenstein is ousted, his move will put Mueller’s investigation in serious jeopardy. This pressure has, by all appearances, not affected the special counsel.
Francisco has totally jettisoned this tradition. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He shares Trump’s skepticism of the FBI and co-authored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal shortly before the 2016 election that accused the agency of having a “double standard” with regard to Democrats and Republicans. Notes from his time as chief of staff were the basis for some of the Mueller report’s more dramatic moments, including Mr. Trump’s realization that the appointment of the special counsel signaled “the end of my presidency,” a concern he underscored with an expletive. DeSantis’s new data analyst: an anti-mask sports blogger with no credentials, Biden responds to Trump's refusal to concede. It’s pretty clear that Noel Francisco is not an institutionalist like Rod, Rolling Around on the Floor in the Pop-Tarts Aisle, Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission. It's unclear how the matter will ultimately be resolved, and a person close to Cipollone disputed he would block Philbin's exit if he was up for a promotion. A fiercely partisan Trump loyalist, Francisco is unlikely to take Rosenstein’s hands-off approach to the probe. resign from his role as the government's top lawyer before the Supreme Court in the coming days The program came under intense scrutiny in 2004, when then-Attorney General John Ashcroft was hospitalized with gallbladder complications. Jurisprudence Noel Francisco Can’t Be Trusted Meet the unethical Trump loyalist who’ll oversee the Mueller probe if Rod Rosenstein is ousted. He did not say why. Photos by Mark Wilson/Getty Images and Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.
Francisco also has taken the lead for the Department of Justice in its briefs supporting Trump's efforts to block subpoenas from the US House of Representatives and a New York grand jury for personal financial documents, including tax returns. Solicitor General Noel Francisco and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Slate relies on advertising to support our journalism. Put simply, Rosenstein resignation would be terrific news for Donald Trump.
When the court ruled for Trump, the four dissenters noted that the majority’s reasoning relied heavily upon the government’s highly dubious assertion that the waiver process is impartial. Earlier this year, Francisco, in his capacity as solicitor general, weighed in on a Supreme Court case, Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission, that revolved around the issue of who, exactly, has authority to appoint administrative law judges. The suit seeks to delay the imminent publication of Mr. Bolton’s coming memoir that is expected to disclose damaging details about Mr. Trump. Photo illustration by Slate. In his email to staff members, Mr. Hunt, 58, said that his last day would be July 3. In his absence, Comey, then deputy attorney general, had been tasked with carrying out his responsibilities, and later refused to reauthorize the program during a dramatic standoff in Ashcroft's hospital room.
Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Florida Gov. So many lawyers in the division left or asked to be temporarily reassigned to other parts of the department that at one point it froze reassignment requests. Equally disconcerting as his past anti-FBI rhetoric is Francisco’s breathtakingly expansive view of executive power and privilege. Francisco’s startling Lucia argument seemed designed to undermine this rule. That has compelled some Democratic solicitors general to defend conservative arguments, and vice versa. Francisco has also been aggressive -- and largely successful -- in seeking Supreme Court intervention when lower court judges have blocked Trump policies, for example on anti-immigration efforts, at early stages of litigation, for example. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
During his tenure, the solicitor general’s office has flipped positions at least a dozen times, discarding a progressive stance in favor of a conservative one. (The Supreme Court eventually overturned McDonnell’s conviction.). None of this bodes well for Rosenstein’s future in the Trump administration. Don’t be—he already has. Mr. Hunt had a front-row seat to the early days of the Russia investigation, led by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. The official, Joseph H. Hunt, who previously was chief of staff to Jeff Sessions when he was the attorney general, did not say why he was leaving, and a Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on his departure. In reality, the process appears to be a charade—and Francisco was integral in promoting that sham. As the face of the Trump administration at the Supreme Court lectern, Francisco argued for the travel ban that targeted majority-Muslim countries, for a citizenship question on the US Census, and most recently for an end to the Obama-era program that shields young immigrants who were brought to the US without proper documentation. And you'll never see this message again.
said last week that he was leaving in July, told officials at the department that he planned to leave, to no longer defend the Affordable Care Act, accusing him of illegally profiting from his personal business. Francisco could insist that the special counsel is treating Trump unfairly and demand a “pause,” as Trump lawyers have urged. (He’d need an ethics waiver because his old law firm, Jones Day, now represents Trump—but that would be easy to obtain.)
But Rosenstein appears to have consistently resisted presidential pressure, even while acceding to unprecedented demands from congressional Republicans for documents that have been used as political cudgels against the probe. The ban ostensibly permits case-by-case exceptions, and Francisco told the court that consular officers themselves made the final decision about who received waivers. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, accompanied by his chief of staff at the time, Joseph H. Hunt, during a news conference in 2017 … Those include the administration’s decision to no longer defend the Affordable Care Act in court, the president’s fight to add a citizenship question to the census, and the adoption of harsh stances on immigration. G.M. That could involve impeding the special counsel’s investigation or scrapping it entirely. The piece set off a frenzy of speculation about Rosenstein’s fate, which continued until the White House announced that he would not be leaving his job on Monday, but would meet with Trump on Thursday at the White House. He appears to be loyal to Trump above the Justice Department and the FBI, and he would likely be willing to cast aside those agencies’ customary independence in order to protect the president.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, accompanied by his chief of staff at the time, Joseph H. Hunt, during a news conference in 2017 at the Justice Department in Washington. Mr. Benczkowski told Attorney General William P. Barr last year that he planned to serve as head of the criminal division for only two years, and Mr. Francisco’s departure has been in the works for months, according to a department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel decisions. Francisco was simply attempting to deceive the court. Powerful political allies are often selected for high-ranking positions in the administration, so Mr. Trump’s choice of a career lawyer like Mr. Hunt for such a key post was somewhat unusual. This unrest has been mirrored by an uptick in resignations and firings from the top ranks of … Mr. Hunt joined the Justice Department in 1999, rising through the ranks and spending much of his time in the branch of the civil division that defends lawsuits filed against the president, administration officials and the administration’s approximately 100 federal agencies and departments. Francisco's Senate confirmation hearing was in May 2017, the day after Trump fired James Comey as FBI director. Besides Mr. Hunt, Brian A. Benczkowski, the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said last week that he was leaving in July, and Noel J. Francisco, the solicitor general, told officials at the department that he planned to leave when the Supreme Court wrapped up its session this month. This story has been updated with additional developments. Join Slate Plus to continue reading, and you’ll get unlimited access to all our work—and support Slate’s independent journalism. In fact, that decision was made by State Department officials and seems to be infected with bias and caprice. A few days later, Francisco attempted to correct the record, sending the court a letter explaining that he meant Jan. 25, 2017. For decades, the solicitor general’s office has maintained a consistent position on legal issues even when a new administration takes over.
In July, these same House Republicans briefly filed articles of impeachment against Rosenstein for not acquiescing to enough of those demands.
Rosenstein has overseen the investigation because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the task after failing to disclose contacts with the Russian ambassador during the campaign. WASHINGTON — The head of the Justice Department’s civil division told staff members on Tuesday that he planned to resign after nearly two years in the post, according to an email obtained by The New York Times, making him the third top official at the department to step down in the past week. He did not say where he was going next but told his staff that he was “amazed” by their work ethic and integrity. He did not say why.
Mueller has secured numerous convictions and indictments, most recently obtaining a plea deal from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.