Conservative members of the House announced plans to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein mere moments after he announced the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for interfering in the 2016 election.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadow was on the floor with the impeachment documents as Rosenstein spoke with reporters on Friday.
The move comes as GOP lawmakers in Congress have alleged that Rosenstein has stalled their probe into FBI agent bias against Donald Trump, Politico reports.
Conservative members announced plans to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Friday
But Democrats also claim that the move for impeachment is really an effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mueller has to report directly to Rosenstein, his findings surrounding collusion between members of the Trump administration with Russians in the election.
Trump has blasted the investigation, calling it a ‘witch hunt.’
Sources familiar with the proceedings claim that impeachment documents could be filed as soon as Monday.
Meadows and Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have been rallying Republican support, a feat that is proving difficult.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadow was on the floor with the impeachment documents as Rosenstein spoke with reporters on Friday
Meadows and Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have been rallying Republican support, a feat that is proving difficult
‘It has not been filed today,’ said Meadows’s spokesman Ben Williamson.
Republicans may try to hold Rosenstein in contempt of Congress if not impeachment.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has been said to be uncomfortable with the probe into Rosenstein and doesn’t appear to have wavered on that position.
Rosenstein has asserted that he is working to comply with the growing list of demands members of the GOP have made concerning the documents involving the Russia probe.
The move comes as GOP lawmakers in Congress have alleged that Rosenstein has stalled their probe into FBI agent bias against Donald Trump
But the GOP and Trump feel that he has only dragged the process out and has undermined Congress’ oversight authority.
Democrats feel that Trump only hopes to gain insight as to what is happening with the probe as it relates to him.
Last month, the House pushed through a measure accusing Rosenstein and others of dodging Congress and demaning access to the documents by July 6.
On Friday, Rosenstein stressed the importance of being skeptical of leaks surrounding the Mueller probe.
‘Rosenstein, who has oversight over the FBI and of the Mueller investigation is where the buck stops,’ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said. ‘Congress has been blocked today from conducting its constitutional oversight duty’
‘We do not try cases on television or in congressional hearings. Most anonymous leaks are not from the government officials who are actually conducting these investigations,’ he said.
‘We follow the rule of law, which means that we follow procedures, and we reserve judgment,’ he added. ‘We complete our investigations, and we evaluate all of the relevant evidence before we reach any conclusion. That is how the American people expect their Department of Justice to operate, and that is how our department is going to operate.’
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) still doesn’t think Rosenstein should be given a free pass.
‘Rosenstein, who has oversight over the FBI and of the Mueller investigation is where the buck stops,’ he said. ‘Congress has been blocked today from conducting its constitutional oversight duty.’