Revisiting Rachel Brand … and the chess board
Rachel Brand
Former US Assistant AG
3rd Highest Official in DOJ
May 22, 2017 - February 20, 2018
Resigned after only 9 months to take a position at Walmart
Created complicated succession at DOJ involving Vacancies Reform Act of 1998
Brand’s temporary successor (Acting Assistant AG) is her principal deputy Jesse Panuccio
The Vacancies Reform Act allows the president to choose someone else to fill this position for up to 210 days.
210 days = September 18, 2018
Note the timing.
Who is Noel Francisco?
Panuccio is not senate-confirmed. Therefore he cannot act as AG or Deputy AG. Under the DOJ’s own Succession Statute and Guidelines for Implementing that law (issued by AG Lynch in 2016) Brand is replaced in that line of succession by Solicitor General Noel Francisco (the Nation’s chief legal representative in front of the Supreme Court).
Thus, the Associate AG is the designated successor to the Deputy AG [RR]. [RR] authorized the Mueller investigation because Jeff Sessions recused himself of any Trump election-related investigations. So if [RR] is somehow removed, and even though the assistant AG is next in line, it would be Noel Francisco who would take over as acting Deputy AG in charge of the RM investigation.
Noel Francisco
Current Solicitor General of the United States
Appointed Principal Deputy Solicitor General by Trump on January 23, 2017. He served as Acting Solicitor General from that date until March 10, 2017. On March 7, 2017, the Whitehouse announced Francisco’s nomination to the position of Solicitor General. He was confirmed by the US Senate (50-47) on September 19, 2017 (before Rachel Brand resigned on February 20, 2018).
Note the narrow confirmation vote for Noel Francisco in the Senate. Note the chess move made by Trump almost a year to the day (9/19/17 vs. 9/18/18) to install this good guy. The 210 day clock is ticking down.
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[RR]