Rosenstein Impeachment: GOP Lawmakers Introduce Articles Of Impeachment Against Deputy Attorney General
Along with nine co-sponsors, GOP lawmakers Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, The Hill reports.
According to the same outlet, this clearly signals conservatives’ ongoing efforts to impeach and replace Rod Rosenstein, the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.
Meadows released the following statement.
“For 9 months we’ve warned them consequences were coming, and for 9 months we’ve heard the same excuses backed up by the same unacceptable conduct. Time is up and the consequences are here. It’s time to find a new Deputy Attorney General who is serious about accountability and transparency.”
Rosenstein, Meadows added, was “caught” red handed, multiple times. According to the GOP, the Deputy AG has been hiding information, withholding documents, and even ignoring Congress subpoenas. The U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district also claims that the GOP now has “proof” that Rosenstein signed off on “using unverified political opposition…to spy on an American citizen working for the Trump campaign.”
Although Jordan and Meadows’ push to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein does not come as a surprise, it appears to be a product of a methodical, continual effort. For instance, on July 13, Politico published a special report, outlining House conservatives’ elaborate plan to oust Rosenstein.
House Democrats, as Politico noted, consider the GOP’s fixation on Rosenstein to be a part of a greater effort to stunt and obstruct special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Mueller reports to Rosenstein, and his investigation into Russian election interference has been infamously called a “witch hunt” by the POTUS himself, multiple times.
GOP lawmakers introduce articles of impeachment against Rosenstein https://t.co/N6qxw0eQKX pic.twitter.com/h5idR3qd3C
— The Hill (@thehill) July 25, 2018
While GOP lawmakers continue to accuse Rosenstein of stonewalling Congress, the Deputy Attorney General and other DOJ officials insist that they have largely completed Congress’ document requests, giving lawmakers access to 880,000 pages they’ve requested. Three congressional subpoenas issued by house conservatives have either been fulfilled or are being fulfilled, and the DOJ continues to accept new requests, according to The Hill.
The impeachment of Rod Rosenstein could result in special counsel Robert Mueller’s firing. House Democrats have expressed concern over this, but so have some conservatives. For instance, as the Inquisitr previously reported, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said that Rosenstein’s firing would be “crossing the line,” providing Rosenstein was to be replaced with someone willing to fire Mueller.
Rosenstein’s impeachment would, as the Washington Post noted in April this year, pose a serious threat to Mueller’s Russia probe. Rosenstein is the only person who has the legal authority to fire Robert Mueller. However, outright firing of the special counsel and the shutting down of the Russia probe would, according to WaPo, likely cause a firestorm, so Rosenstein’s hypothetical replacement would have to choose a safer route.
