UPDATE 1-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, is resigning

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's campaign, said on Monday he was resigning from his post. Rosenstein's departure, effective May 11, was not a surprise. He had been expected to step down in March, and Trump has already nominated Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to replace him.

Rosenstein ended up staying on the job longer to help Attorney General William Barr manage the public release of Mueller's findings from his 22-months-long investigation, which was completed on March 22. In a letter to Trump, Rosenstein echoed two of Trump’s signature phrases, writing that he helped staff the department with officials “devoted to the values that make America great” and adding that “we always put America first.”

Mueller's investigation did not establish evidence that Trump's campaign illegally conspired with the Russian government. Mueller, in his final report, did not make a determination on whether Trump obstructed justice, but instead presented evidence on both sides.

After receiving the final report, Rosenstein and Barr made their own determination, finding that there was insufficient evidence to charge the president. "We enforce the law without fear or favor because credible evidence is not partisan and truth is not determined by opinion polls," Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Peter Cooney)