Washington: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Robert Mueller to investigate alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential elections, tendered his resignation on Monday.
Rosenstein, who wrote a letter to the White House, will serve in his current capacity till May 11, according to media reports.
"I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humour you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity because 'a nation exists to serve its citizens'," Rosenstein wrote in his letter.
"We enforce the law without fear or favour because credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls," read the letter cited by media. "We ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things that matter because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle," it added.
On January 10, media had quoted a source as stating that the attorney general is not being forced out, however, he has already told the White House and informed United States President Donald Trump about his decision.
Earlier this month, Rosenstein had defended his investigation of Russia's interference in the previous presidential elections and once again promised to "do it right" and "take it to the appropriate conclusion."
A number of high ranking officials in the Trump administration have stepped down from their positions in the recent past.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, US envoy to United Nations Nikki Haley, Secretary of Defence James Mattis and Pentagon Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney are among the officials who have resigned over the last few months.
Read more: 3 dead in helicopter crash in Kailua
