Rod Rosenstein was overwhelmingly confirmed to be the next deputy attorney general, after a Senate vote that was 94-6 Tuesday.
Rosenstein’s nomination has been closely tied to the House and Senate Russia investigations — whether he wanted it to, or not.
As the second-in-command under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Rosenstein’s March confirmation hearing focused largely on Sessions’ own undisclosed discussions with the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, and eventual recusal from Justice Department investigations regarding Russia.
Senate Democrats pressed Rosenstein to recuse himself and appoint a special prosecutor for any Russia investigations, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Rosenstein agreed to appoint a special prosecutor if it was needed.