Attorney General nominee William Barr denied he was involved in the decision by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to leave the Justice Department, saying he actually asked him to remain during the transition.

“I asked him if he would stay for a while and he said he would, and so as of right now he has no concrete plans, I have no concrete plans in terms of his departure. We’re going to sort of play it by ear,” Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Reports said Rosenstein, who’s overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, intends to step down after the probe is completed later this spring.

Barr said President Trump told him that he could choose his own deputy.

Asked what qualities he would seek in a No. 2, Barr said a “good manager” with experience “running government programs.”

“And I want a first-rate lawyer and someone whose judgment I feel comfortable in,” Barr said.