Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand was the third most powerful person in law enforcement, right behind Attorney General Jeff Session and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein.
And since Sessions had recused himself from any actions related to the Trump-Russia investigation, Brand was much more high profile, especially since reports were being floated that Trump was seeking to remove Rosenstein.
That all ended Friday when Brand resigned to take a position with Walmart as the company’s executive vice president of global governance and corporate secretary, a job change that had been in the works for some time, the sources said.
The Justice Department’s No.3 attorney had been unhappy with her job for months, according to sources. As far back as last fall, Brand had expressed to friends that she felt overwhelmed and unsupported in her job, especially as many key positions under her jurisdiction had still not been filled with permanent, Senate-confirmed officials.
It will be key to look at how fast Trump will move to replace her, and — of course — who he chooses to replace her. All this will be a sign of whether or not he intends to interfere with the Russia investigation.