Trump's House Allies Ready 'Last Resort' Move

Republicans have drafted articles of impeachment against Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 1, 2018 10:55 AM CDT
Trump's House Allies Push Rosenstein Impeachment
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testifies before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 13, 2017.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats warned such a move could be coming. Now, House Republicans allied with President Trump have drafted articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who's overseeing Robert Mueller's investigation into links between Trump's campaign and Russia, the Washington Post reports. "It's sickening," Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, tells CNN, per the Hill. "There are no limits, or no length, that they are not willing to go to just torch the Department of Justice." Some Republicans see it another way. Trump ally Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, says the impeachment articles, mentioning Rosenstein's delay in turning over documents to congressional investigators, are "a last resort option, if the Department of Justice fails to respond" to further requests.

"My frustrations about their inability to respond to simple requests could warrant further action," Meadows tells the Post. Impeachment, however, is no easy route. If approved by the House Judiciary Committee, impeachment would require a majority vote in the House and a two-thirds vote in a Senate trial. Meadows says lawmakers might bring the articles to an immediate House vote, with approval from speaker Paul Ryan. But just last month, Ryan said Mueller and Rosenstein "should be allowed to do their jobs." Still, the impeachment articles may do more than signal "the growing chasm" between Republican leaders and rank-and-file members, per the Post. Experts tell USA Today that the speed at which the DOJ has released documents to Congress may have already been hastened by Republican pressure, which reaches a new level with Meadows' effort. (More Rod Rosenstein stories.)

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