Two members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday announced they have drafted a resolution demanding the Department of Justice release all remaining documents related to the probe of Russian collusion with Trump campaign.
Republican Reps. Mark Meadows, North Carolina, and Jim Jordan, Ohio, told Fox News they will push for a congressional vote to have the information released.
“It’s all about compelling DOJ to turn over documents so that we can do proper oversight,” Mr. Meadows said. “If they have nothing to hide, turn over the documents.”
The lawmakers’ comments came as Fox News reported Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena emails, phone records and other documents from lawmakers and staff on the House Intelligence Committee.
Mr. Rosenstein allegedly made the threat during a tense meeting earlier this year, the network reported.
Kash Patel, the committee’s then-senior counsel for counterterrorism, sent an email to the House Office of General Counsel complaining of Mr. Rosenstein’s behavior, Fox News said. In the email, Mr. Patel said, Mr. Rosenstein objected when committee members asked for the Justice Department and FBI to respond to its record requests in writing.
Mr. Rosenstein allegedly responded that if the committee likes being litigators then “we [Justice Department] too [are] litigators, and we will subpoena your records and your emails.”
A Justice Department official told Fox News that Mr. Rosenstein “never threatened anyone in the room with the criminal investigation” adding that characterization of events is “false.”
Mr. Jordan told Fox News that he was “flabbergasted” about the report and Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ defense of Mr. Rosenstein. The network played an audio of Mr. Sessions saying he was confident that the Justice Department’s second in command did not improperly threaten lawmakers.
“Today we learned in [Catherine Herridge’s] report that the head of the, in essence the head of the Justice Department, Rod Rosenstein, was threatening members of the House Intelligence Committee for doing their job, for trying to get answers for the American people, and the attorney general says ’That’s okay, we’re doing just fine?’” Mr. Jordan said.
“Are you kidding me?” He added.
“For the attorney general to say he’s confident that Rod Rosenstein did everything right, well, I’m confident he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Mr. Meadows said. “We’re fed up with it.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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