House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) plans to subpoena Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for copies of the memos drafted by ousted FBI James Comey about his interactions with President Donald Trump.
Goodlatte’s plans were first reported by The Hill Wednesday evening, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the Judiciary Committee’s ranking committee, later confirmed in a statement that Goodlatte informed him of the plans for a subpoena on Wednesday.
“Today, Chairman Goodlatte informed me that he intends to issue a subpoena to the Department of Justice—in this case, to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein—for former FBI Director James Comey’s memoranda,” Nadler said in a statement. “Although the Majority has shown little or no interest in conducting meaningful oversight of the Trump Administration so far, no matter what the Chairman’s motivations are today, I hope that we will now have an opportunity to review some of the evidence surrounding President Trump’s dismissal of Mr. Comey.”
Goodlatte, along with two other Republican chairmen in the House, sent a letter to Rosenstein last week asking for the memos by Monday, April 16. Rosenstein asked the committee leaders on Monday for more time to assess whether the Justice Department can share the memos given that they are evidence in an ongoing investigation. The committee leaders agreed to give Rosenstein a few more days.
In his statement Wednesday night, Nadler warned that the planned subpoena of Rosenstein may be another effort by House Republicans to undermine the Russia probe by hurting Rosenstein.
“If House Republicans refuse any accommodation short of the Department of Justice handing over custody of these documents—which it cannot do—I fear the Majority will have manufactured an excuse to hold the Deputy Attorney General in contempt of Congress. If they succeed in tarnishing the Deputy Attorney General, perhaps they will have given President Trump the pretext he has sought to replace Mr. Rosenstein with someone willing to do his bidding and end the Special Counsel’s investigation,” Nadler said in the statement.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) also met with Rosenstein about Republican document requests on Monday, as the Washington Post reported Wednesday night. They warned him that he could face impeachment proceedings or an effort to hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not satisfy requests for documents related to Justice Department officials conduct in the Russia probe and Hillary Clinton email probe, according to the Washington Post.
This entire part of our history is a sickening roller coaster in which you get brief moments of respite (FBI raids Cohen offices) from long spells of vomit inducing Rethuglican fueled insanity (subpoena everybody!).
Nothing short of the rule of law and the concept of America is under assault and these bastards are doing the Kremlin’s dirty work.
Nice to see Republicans interested in truth and justice.
Ahem, sorry, I just threw up in my mouth.
I share a country with 63 million plus ‘morally bankrupt’ individuals in AmeriKKKa!
Indeed they might as well say we’re with the Russians and Trump
They are trying to set up Rosenstien when he says it’s an ongoing investigation and no they can’t
Then they will say this is grounds for termination.
As with all things in these times “Follow the Money”
These unpatriotic actions would lead someone to insinuate that there was a lot of Russian cash floating around that they would rather not discuss.
To say I am disgusted would not even approach it
To say I am surprised , why heavens to Citizens United no.
Spam. Flagged. Bye-bye.