In a concerted effort to distract the public and derail Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, House Republican allies of President Trump are ramping up the pressure on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller, asking him to turn over documents related both to law enforcement's initiation of the Russia probe and to the long-over investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.
Rosenstein’s meeting at his office Monday with Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) came days after Meadows, an influential Trump confidant, warned Rosenstein that he could soon face impeachment proceedings or an effort to hold him in contempt of Congress if he did not satisfy GOP demands for documents.
(...)
In recent days, Trump has seethed over the FBI’s raid last week on the home, office and hotel room of his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, which Rosenstein approved. He has also taken note of conservative commentators who have called for Rosenstein to be fired ... And Trump encouraged Rosenstein to work with lawmakers on their document requests in a White House meeting April 12, the officials said.
“They’ve been saying I’m going to get rid of them for the last three months, four months, five months, and they’re still here,” Trump said at a news conference Wednesday when asked about Mueller and Rosenstein.
(...)
Meadows and other Republicans close to Trump, such as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), have long clashed with Rosenstein over documents related to the origin of the Russia investigation. Last week, in a move widely seen as an attempt to calm that rancor, the Justice Department gave Nunes access to a redacted document detailing the beginning of the probe — a day after Nunes suggested that he may try to impeach high-ranking FBI or Justice Department officials over their failure to produce what he wanted.
Trump allies also are going the memos former FBI Director James Comey wrote detailing his interactions with President Trump, even though Republican lawmakers already know the Justice Department likely cannot turn them over to Congress.
On Wednesday evening, House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) served notice to the panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) that he intended to issue a subpoena for Comey’s memos, which have been turned over to Mueller.
Nadler, noting the memos were part of the special counsel investigation and likely could not be handed over to Congress, accused Goodlatte of seeking to create “an excuse” to hold Rosenstein in contempt of Congress. That possible motive, he added, might give the president “the pretext he has sought to replace Mr. Rosenstein with someone willing to do his bidding and end the special counsel’s investigation.”
Earlier this year, a federal judge in Washington refused to order the public disclosure of Comey’s memos in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by media organizations. The Justice Department has said the release would interfere with Mueller’s investigation.
(...)
Meadows and Jordan have made their pursuit of documents related to these various probes a rallying cry and legislative cause, often showcasing their loyalty to Trump in the process.
Speaking Monday on CNN, Jordan said he has never heard Trump lie. “He’s always been square with me,” he said. “That’s for darn sure.”
At the Capitol last week, Meadows told reporters that he was ready to draft articles of impeachment for Rosenstein or push to hold the Justice official in contempt of Congress — and said congressional Republicans were willing to mount an aggressive campaign on Trump’s behalf.
“Contempt of Congress is really at the doorstep of Rod Rosenstein more than anybody else,” Meadows said.
He called contempt “the first step,” to be followed by “other tools” if the Justice Department did not produce the documents requested.
“It is certainly on the path to impeachment,” Meadows added.
Congressional Republican leaders, meanwhile, have shown limited interest in taking legislative steps to protect Mueller’s investigation.
Trump allies press Rosenstein in private meeting in latest sign of tensions (WaPo)