Say it ain’t so, Trey!
There have been rumblings in the House of Representatives among Republicans that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should be removed from his post.
The New York Post recently reported that Reps. Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows, both members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, were exploring avenues to possibly impeach Rosenstein. Jordan and Meadows are reportedly incensed by what they see as stonewalling by Rosenstein, who isn’t turning over documents related to anti-Trump bias at the FBI.
The Posts says impeachment documents could be filed as soon as today. But Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is expected to block the effort.
Rep. Trey Gowdy was asked about this new effort to impeach Rosenstein, and he threw a bucket of ice-cold water all over it. When asked if Rosenstein should be impeached on “Face the Nation,” here’s how Gowdy replied: “No. For what? Impeach him for what?”
“I’m not convinced there is a movement,” he continued.
You can watch Gowdy’s interview here:
Gowdy’s response may be disappointing to some, but you have to remember what Gowdy’s role is. He’s chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which has been overseeing a lot of the investigations related to rampant Trump hatred at the FBI. Gowdy helped lead the recent congressional hearing on corrupt FBI investigator Peter Strzok. (RELATED: Gowdy Slams Strzok While Dems Cheer Claim That Anti-Trump Bias Is Rooted in ‘Patriotism’.)
Gowdy’s getting into the weeds of FBI bias on his own, with his own congressional authority. It’s true that while Rosenstein has been less than forthcoming with documents related to improper FBI conduct, he has yet to commit an actual crime. That makes the prospect of a Congress-led impeachment very slim.
Far better for President Trump to remove Rosenstein himself if he finds him to be inadequate for the job. That would be the most reasonable course of action. And Gowdy actually affirmed that in the interview, stating that Trump “can fire him with a tweet” if he so pleases.
Rosenstein should be quicker with getting Congress the documents it wants. However, delay in producing documents may not be grounds for impeachment.
