Does Trump have authority to fire him?
He does, right?
I know politics are involved as the press would jump all over him.
But they do anyway so...
I think he is being extra cautious to avoid the appearance of committing obstruction of justice, which they are just salivating to jump on.
I have long thought Rosenstein was in bed with Muller on this, and perhaps they see him sticking around long enough to force Trump to fire him, giving him their ONLY way to keep it going for a couple more years.
I assume that Barr has approved this extended stay so that makes it problematic for Trump.
Trump is giving them time to hang themselves. He knows ALL their dirty little secrets. Trump goes about his business and lets the slanderers make fools of themselves.