Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, interrupted Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Tuesday as he questioned Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in doing so accused House Republicans of conspiring to “fire” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein by the end of the week.
“Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry,” Lee said during Horowitz’s testimony before a joint session of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.
House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy responded by telling her Jordan “controls the time.”
“Well, is it not appropriate to raise the question as to what is the germaneness of the gentleman’s line of questioning and whether or not we’re dealing with the report of Mr. Horowitz or whether we’re dealing with the Republicans’ attempt to undermine the Mueller investigation as well as fire Deputy Attoney General Rosenstein, which you are planning to do on Friday?” Lee shot back.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee just interrupted Rep. Jim Jordan to assert, in part that Republicans are planning to fire Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein “on Friday.”
— Dan Friedman (@dfriedman33) June 19, 2018
Lee appeared to be referring to Gowdy’s claim on Sunday that House Speaker Paul Ryan warned top Justice Department and FBI officials during a meeting they would face the House’s “full arsenal of constitutional weapons to gain compliance” on outstanding subpoenas if they didn’t do so by Friday.
Jordan was in the middle of asking Horowitz whether the investigation he is conducting into whether federal law enforcement agents abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act would include why certain information about the Trump-Russia dossier was left out of an application pertaining to former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page.
While lawmakers cannot “fire” Rosenstein, they can find him in contempt of Congress or may introduce impeachment proceedings.
Watch the exchange below:
