Two leading conservative lawmakers wrote a letter to the Justice Department’s internal watchdog to investigate Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to determine whether he threatened congressional staffers earlier this year.
“This notion Mr. Rosenstein threatened to use his official investigative powers as Deputy Attorney General to retaliate against rank-and-file staff members for sending written oversight requests raises concerns he has abused his authority in the context of this investigation,” House Freedom Caucus leaders Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote to Inspector General Michael Horowitz in a letter dated Monday.
Last month, Fox News reported Rosenstein threatened that he would “subpoena” documents from lawmakers and aides of the House Intelligence Committee during a January 2018 meeting.
The FBI pushed back on the report, but Jordan pressed Rosenstein on the issue during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last month, asking if he threatened to “subpoena their calls and emails?”
“No, sir, and there’s no way to subpoena phone calls,” Rosenstein said.
“I would suggest that you not rely on what the press says, sir,” he added.
Meadows and Jordan have been harsh critics of Rosenstein, and have blamed him for delaying a probe into FBI agents they allege displayed bias against President Trump. Last week they were finalizing an impeachment filing against Rosenstein, according to Politico.
The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department and Horowitz refused to comment on Meadows’ and Jordans’ letter.
Rosenstein has oversight of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, which is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
