House of charlatans

From their perches on the House Oversight Committee, Reps. Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows have been busy worker bees, attempting to sabotage Robert Mueller's necessary investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

This week, the bees stung, filing preposterous articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, alleging the Justice Department refused House demands for FBI documents related to Mueller's probe.

Rosenstein, of course, was perfectly correct to reject a fishing expedition into an ongoing investigation that has produced 35 indictments or guilty pleas of Russian operatives and Trump campaign officials.

Tellingly, even GOP House leaders, who have toed Donald Trump's line on almost everything, were embarrassed, burying the impeachment measure almost as soon as it was introduced.

Undaunted, Jordan announced himself as a candidate for House speaker next year.

This is the same Jim Jordan, a former Ohio State assistant wrestling coach, whom more than 100 former OSU wrestlers claim ignored clear evidence three decades ago that the team doctor sexually abused them.

Trump has shamed the White House in countless ways. What should terrify all Americans is that too many of his congressional allies are determined to show that ethical and temperamental rot in Republican Washington extends far beyond one man.