Trump’s GOP allies seek to impeach Rosenstein
Freedom Caucus in House pushing to end Russia probe
Conservative lawmakers introduce a resolution calling for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a move that marks a dramatic escalation in the battle over the special counsel investigation into Russia.
WASHINGTON — Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a resolution calling for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a move that marks a dramatic escalation in the battle over the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The effort, spearheaded by Reps. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also sets up a showdown with House Republican leaders, who have distanced themselves from calls to remove Rosenstein from office. But Meadows and Jordan stopped short of forcing an immediate vote on the measure, sparing Republican lawmakers for now from a potential dilemma.
“For nine months we’ve warned them consequences were coming, and for nine months we’ve heard the same excuses backed up by the same unacceptable conduct,” Meadows said in a statement announcing the move. “Time is up and the consequences are here. It’s time to find a new deputy attorney general who is serious about accountability and transparency.”
Meadows and Jordan are leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a bloc whose members have been among the most persistent critics of Rosenstein. All 11 lawmakers who filed the resolution are members of the caucus.
‘Mountain of evidence’
House Republicans have been ramping up their attacks on the deputy attorney general in recent weeks, accusing him of withholding documents and being insufficiently transparent in his handling of the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Justice Department officials said they have provided the vast majority of information sought in subpoenas from two key House committees — and are nearly done with providing all of the outstanding information requested in those subpoenas.
In an appearance on Fox Business Network on Wednesday night, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said that while the next step remains uncertain as the House leaves town for its summer recess at the end of this week, “it was very important for those of us who believe that norms have been violated to step out and say Rod Rosenstein needs to be impeached.”
“The mountain of evidence against Rod Rosenstein is very compelling when you look at the extent to which documents and witnesses have been withheld,” said Gaetz, one of the lawmakers who introduced the resolution.
Democrats have argued that House Republicans’ clashes with Rosenstein are little more than a pretext to weaken Mueller’s efforts.
On Wednesday, Meadows and Jordan filed the resolution a little more than an hour after leaving a meeting with top Justice Department officials, including FBI General Counsel Dana Boente and Inspector General Michael Horowitz. Exiting the meeting, Meadows declined to comment on his plans regarding Rosenstein but said there was “still great frustration” with the pace that subpoenaed documents had been produced to Congress.
Not all in GOP agree
But that was far from a unanimous opinion for the lawmakers who participated. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said he believed that the Justice Department officials were making progress and that impeaching Rosenstein would be a bad idea.
“I’m not a big fan of drama,” Gowdy said. “Impeachment is a punishment, it’s not a remedy. If you’re looking for documents, then you want compliance, and you want whatever moves you toward compliance.”
House Republican aides said Thursday that if a member moved to force a vote on the measure, leaders would likely move to send it to the House Judiciary Committee for further review, effectively bottling it up indefinitely. But that could still be an uncomfortable vote for many Republican lawmakers who are under pressure from conservatives groups — and the voters who follow them — to unseat the man who oversees the investigation Trump routinely denigrates as a “witch hunt.”
For months, House Republicans have accused the Justice Department and FBI of stonewalling and foot-dragging in response to lawmakers’ demands for documents about the 2016 probe of Hillary Clinton, the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the election, and the sources and methods used in the Russia probe.
A Justice Department official said only one committee request has been formally denied, a demand to see the unredacted Justice Deptartment memo detailing exactly which Trump associates are under investigation by special counsel Mueller and for which potential crimes. Officials declined that request because providing it could compromise ongoing investigations.
One of the key documents requested, a largely unredacted copy of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant on former Trump adviser Carter Page, has been viewed by about 30 lawmakers.