Famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz called on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein not to “bully” Congress after reports came out that said Rosenstein had threatened House Intelligence Committee lawmakers and aides with a subpoena.
“The legislature has the power, obviously, to oversee and investigate the executive branch. And a member of the executive branch, which is what Rod Rosenstein is, shouldn’t be able to bully the legislative branch,” Dershowitz said during an interview on Fox News late Tuesday.
“He should be transparent. He should turn over the documents. He should be cooperative and Congress should be cooperative with the executive branch,” Dershowitz continued.
Fox News reported Tuesday that Rosenstein had warned House Intelligence Committee members and staffers in a January meeting that they would be subpoenaed for emails, phone records, and other information pertaining to their inquiries on the Justice Department’s ongoing Russia investigation.
Justice Department and FBI officials pushed back on the characterization of the encounter documented in emails obtained by Fox News.
The January interaction coincided with allegations of surveillance abuse from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., against the DOJ and the FBI, and was part of the ongoing dispute between the bodies regarding various document requests from the panel.
Dershowitz also told Fox News that former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe had the right to sue the DOJ and the FBI over their failure to produce materials related to his January 2018 firing.
“He’s entitled to due process just like everyone else is entitled to due process,” Dershowitz added.
