Horrible idea

Move to impeach Rosenstein sends all the wrong messages

Hardline conservatives in Congress tried— and failed—to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

U.S. Rep Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, filed articles of impeachment Wednesday night. They managed to convince a handful of fellow House members to sign, but the support was far from enough to make anyone think the idea would fly.

So, what were the grounds for impeachment? Officially, it was alleged that Rosenstein did produce requested documents from Congress and didn’t comply with congressional subpoenas. The resolution also says he should have recused himself from the investigation into President Donald Trump and allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Most Republicans had no stomach for this kind of thing, which is good.

It was announced Thursday there would be no vote on the resolution.

Regardless of the case made against Rosenstein—the man who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to lead the controversial investigation—the whole thing would have been seen as a desperate farce to try and protect Trump. Basically, it was.

That flies in the face of the president’s and his allies’ insistence there is nothing he needs to be protected from. You can’t have it both ways. It sends all the wrong messages. The impeachment resolution was a reckless and foolish move. Thankfully, most House Republicans understood that.

Many think the investigation into the president and Russian interference is a witch hunt. Maybe so. But you don’t fight these things by starting your own pyres and burning your own witches. You fight with the truth.