Donald Trump formally nominates Jeffrey Rosen to replace Rod Rosenstein as No. 2 at Justice

President Trump on Tuesday formally nominated Jeffrey Rosen to serve as Deputy Attorney General, replacing Rod Rosenstein, who is expected to leave the Justice Department soon.

Mr. Rosen was named last month as Mr. Rosenstein’s successor, but his name was official sent to the Senate Tuesday, advancing the process. The Senate must approve his new role.

Currently, the Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Mr. Rosen served in President George W. Bush’s administration and also worked as a private practice attorney.

Mr. Barr in a statement last month praised Mr. Rosen an “excellent choice” for the position and praised the outgoing deputy for serving the department with “dedication and distinction.”

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Mr. Rosen had played a “critical role” in managing the department.

“His hard work, dedication, and decades of experience are evident each day at the Department,” Ms. Chao said in a statement. “I will be sorry to lose him, but I am confident that he is the right lawyer to help the new Attorney General succeed at the Justice Department, for the benefit of the American people.”

Mr. Rosenstein was previously expected to leave the department in mid-March, but a senior department official said last week he would stay on “a little longer.”

It is believed he timed his exit with the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mr. Rosenstein oversaw the probe.

Attorney General William Barr issued a summary of Mueller’s findings on Sunday, writing the special counsel probe found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. But Mr. Barr also wrote the Mueller probe had neither exonerated nor concluded the president committed obstruction of justice.