House panel asks DOJ for Russia papers

Dems say order is part of effort to undermine probe

WASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to approve a resolution directing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to hand over more documents about the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin.

Committee members voted 15-11 along party lines to pass the resolution, which directs Rosenstein to respond to the document request within 14 days. It is up to leaders of the Republican majority to decide whether to bring the resolution to a vote of the full House.

There is no penalty included in the resolution if the Department of Justice does not comply. Rosenstein has handed over scores of documents to House committees, but he has balked at releasing others in the midst of the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The committee’s action was the latest move in an escalating battle that has pitted conservative House Republicans against the Department of Justice and the FBI. The two sides will confront each other Thursday, when Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify at a committee hearing.

“We are sick and tired of the Department of Justice giving us the runaround,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Jordan and other conservatives alleged bias against Trump and in favor of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. They said their case was underscored by the release of a report by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who uncovered antiTrump messages by FBI officials involved in the Russia investigation and the investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Horowitz said he found no evidence that political bias affected the resolution of the case against Clinton, who was not prosecuted.

Democrats said Republicans are trying to undermine Mueller’s criminal investigation to help Trump. They charged that Republicans seek to discredit Rosenstein to give Trump an excuse to fire him and derail the Mueller inquiry.

“What is really happening here is a bad-faith effort ... to interfere with the ongoing Russia investigation,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the committee’s senior Democrat. “It is quite wrong. We should let the investigation proceed . ... The Justice Department has been as forthcoming as they can possibly be without interfering with the investigation.”