Deputy AG Rosenstein appoints O’Callaghan as deputy

On Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed a longtime prosecutor for a deputy position. File Photo by Erin Schaff/UPI

April 3 (UPI) — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced Tuesday that he appointed Edward O’Callaghan to serve as the acting principal associate deputy attorney general.

O’Callaghan will oversee the FBI’s ongoing investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, CBS News reported.

O’Callaghan, the current principal deputy assistant attorney general in the National Security Division, will replace Robert Hur, who is in turn replacing Rosenstein as the U.S. Attorney in the District of Maryland.

“Edward O’Callaghan has served the Department of Justice with distinction, excelling as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and most recently as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the National Security Division. His experiences in a variety of roles throughout the Department will be invaluable as we work to protect our national security, reduce violent crime, and promote the rule of law,” Rosenstein said in a statement.

Rosenstein’s announcement also comes one day after it was revealed the Justice Department authorized special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for collusion with the Russian government.