Rachel Brand, a Pella Christian alumna, had been seen as potentially taking over supervision of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s No. 3 official is planning to step down.
Rachel Brand is leaving for the top legal job at Walmart, friend and former colleague Jamie Gorelick told the Associated Press Friday.
“She felt this was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down,” Gorelick said. Walmart sought Brand to be head of global corporate governance at the retail giant, a position Gorelick said has legal and policy responsibilities that will cater to her strengths. “It really seems to have her name on it.”
The New York Times first reported her departure. It comes as the Justice Department has been subject to unprecedented attack by President Donald Trump.
Brand attracted interest because of her potential to assume a key role in the Trump-Russia investigation. The official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, has been repeatedly criticized by Trump. If Rosenstein had been fired or quit, oversight would have fallen to Brand. That job would now fall to Solicitor General Noel Francisco.
Trump, who has openly lamented his inability to influence Justice Department decisions, has stepped up his criticism in recent weeks, fueled by the release of a politically charged memo alleging the FBI abused its surveillance powers in the Russia investigation.
Brand, who became associate attorney general in May, has kept a relatively low profile. Unlike other top officials, she has not been personally targeted by Trump.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised the “quality and leadership” of Brand and Rosenstein at a Justice Department event last week that focused on human trafficking, which was one of her stated priorities.
Brand, 44, is a graduate of Pella Christian High School in central Iowa.
