No. 3 Official At The DOJ Steps Down!

According to this, the associate attorney general in the Department of Justice, Rachel Brand, is leaving her position. Hold your horses, libs. It doesn’t sound like she’s leaving for any sort of shady reason. Her friend said she was presented with another “dream job.”

A friend of Brand’s says she was “not looking to leave,” but was approached with a “dream job.” Brand will now head to work for Walmart as executive vice president, global governance and corporate secretary.

DOJ officials say Principal Deputy Associate AG Jesse Panuccio will step in as the acting Associate Attorney General.

“The men and women of the Department of Justice impress me every day,” Brand said in a statement. “I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish over my time here. I want to thank Attorney General Sessions for his leadership over this Department. I’ve seen firsthand his commitment to the rule of law and to keeping the American people safe.”

Brand, Sessions said in the same statement, “played a critical role in helping us accomplish our goals as a Department—taking on human trafficking, protecting free speech on campus, and fighting sexual harassment in public housing.

“And when I asked her to take the lead in the Department’s efforts on Section 702 re-authorization, she made this her top priority and combined her expertise and gravitas to help pass legislation keeping this crucial national security tool. Rachel has shown real leadership over many important divisions at the Department. I know the entire Department of Justice will miss her, but we join together in congratulating her on this new opportunity in the private sector. She will always remain a part of the Department of Justice family.”

**BREAKING**
Fox News can confirm Rachel Brand is stepping down as Associate Attorney General, the number 3 position at the DOJ. A friend of Brand’s says Rachel was, “not looking to leave,” but was approached by a Fortune 500 company with a “dream job.” #FoxNews

— Jake Gibson (@JakeBGibson) February 9, 2018

Rachel Brand, the #3 Justice Department official, is out the door after 9 monthshttps://t.co/BB55dSCQ0G

— Katie Benner (@ktbenner) February 9, 2018

Rachel Brand at DoJ is resigning. She’s being replaced by a Trump pick. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s no longer a matter of IF Trump will try to fire Rosenstein & Mueller, it’s a matter of WHEN.

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) February 9, 2018

This is an extremely strange (though not impossible) explanation. Whatever the actual reason for her departure, we were all better off with Rachel Brand at DOJ. https://t.co/nqqCULMgfK

— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) February 9, 2018

Rachel Brand leaving @TheJusticeDept may not be a big deal. Or it could be a monumentally big deal depending on who replaces her and whether @realDonaldTrump ever fires Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein. https://t.co/eBCZYTQS4g

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 9, 2018

I still don’t think it’s the end of the world, but that’s the main reason it’s significant. She was next in line.

In the line of succession, Brand had been behind Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein is overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. She was in line to oversee the investigation if Rosenstein stepped down.

Should Rosenstein step down now, Solicitor General Noel Francisco would take over the probe, not Panuccio. (Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia inquiry last year.)

Libs are panicked.

A very troubling development, because Rachel Brand is a serious lawyer who was very unlikely to fire Mueller if Rosenstein was fired or quit. Senate must insist on a successor committed to protecting Mueller investigation and must pass legislation to protect it. https://t.co/tr68amyOsJ

— Jeff Blattner (@theblatt) February 9, 2018

This is huge news that the highly respected No. 3 official at DOJ is out, and makes Rod Rosenstein's job as the Deputy Attorney General even more important. Very bad sign that she lasted 9 months. Great reporting by @ktbenner https://t.co/BZb2vOwekt

— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) February 9, 2018

#RachelBrand is done with #justicedepartment People of morals & good character can not tolerate working in this administration. #TrumpCrimeFamily https://t.co/5Tx5gMKGZS

— Moon Dragon (@Moondragon_1) February 9, 2018

Wow. One of the smartest, most fearless women in the Justice Department is leaving because our pathetic @POTUS is a colossal, crooked disaster. #RachelBrand #ImpeachTrumpNOW https://t.co/mTtpXala99

— Lesley Abravanel (@lesleyabravanel) February 9, 2018

This Rachel Brand news is quite disconcerting.

— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) February 9, 2018

Your thoughts? Is this a game changer?

h/t Fox News