BREAKING: House Republicans Move To Impeach Rod Rosenstein

House Republicans are moving to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

According to the Hill:

A group of conservative House lawmakers on Wednesday introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The introduction of the resolution is the latest sign of escalating efforts among conservatives to oust the DOJ’s No. 2 official.

Conservative members led by Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), along with nine co-sponsors, introduced the articles shortly after a meeting with DOJ officials concerning document production.

“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,” Meadows, the head of the House Freedom Caucus and ally of President Trump, said in a statement.
“The DOJ is keeping information from Congress. Enough is enough. It’s time to hold Mr. Rosenstein accountable for blocking Congress’s constitutional oversight role,” Jordan said in a statement.

The articles include the charges against him:

They charge that Rosenstein has a conflict of interest in Mueller’s probe, stating that he is a “witness” that could be called in the ongoing investigation into potential abuse since he signed off on an FBI surveillance renewal application to wiretap Carter Page, a former adviser to the Trump campaign.

“As such, his conduct in authorizing the FISA surveillance at issue in the joint congressional investigation makes him a fact witness central to the ongoing investigation of potential FISA abuse,” read the articles of impeachment, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). “Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein’s failure to recuse himself in light of this inherent conflict of interest and failure to recommend the appointment of a second Special Counsel constitute dereliction of duty. Wherefore, Rod Rosenstein, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.”

“Multiple times we’ve caught DOJ officials hiding information from Congress, withholding relevant documents, or even outright ignoring Congressional subpoenas — and now we have evidence that Mr. Rosenstein signed off on a document using unverified political opposition research as a cornerstone of a FISA application to spy on an American citizen working for the Trump campaign,” Meadows continued.

The lawmakers also allege that Rosenstein has “repeatedly failed to produce documents” requested by the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that are investigating FBI and DOJ decisionmaking during the 2016 presidential election.

Rosenstein, they allege, has also “attempted to conceal certain facts” by overly redacting documents they requested.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the articles of impeachment, but hours before they were introduced, DOJ officials told a far different story.

We’ll keep you updated.