Perhaps the most disturbing news to come from House Republicans via their de facto lead investigator, Trey Gowdy, is an admission by the South Carolina Representative of just how easy it would be for Donald Trump to upend the entire investigation into the Russian election interference that brought America its most racist president.
After the announcement on Friday by the Department of Justice of more than a hundred new charges being filed in indictments against 12 Russian security and intelligence agents related to the hacking and conspiracy scandal, news soon hit the wire that House Republicans fully intended to actually invoke a procedure that’s been used only 19 times in the history of our nation — and never against a Department of Justice employee — and impeach Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General who announced the charges this weekend.
In case that’s not enough of a household name for you yet, Rosenstein is the acting Attorney General in matters related to the Russia investigation, after the recusal of Jeff Sessions, who participated in Trump’s presidential campaign and who is likely to face charges himself when the investigation begins to wrap up, not least for perjury.
Rosenstein is also essentially the only thing standing between Trump and a very abrupt end to the ongoing investigation.
Trump could fire special counsel Robert Mueller, but even Republicans have admitted that would be tantamount to treason. The Attorney General could fire special counsel as well, but Jeff Sessions can’t since he’s recused, and Rosenstein has made clear that he will not.
Gowdy himself said that he would be against the impeachment of Rosenstein — it would not be substantially different, after all, from the act of obstruction the President would be committing should he simply elect to fire Bob Mueller — but admitted that it would be very easy for Trump to do it himself:
I’ve had my differences with Rod Rosenstein. I talk to him quite often privately, which again is a lot more constructive than the public hearings we have. He’s a Trump appointee. So is Jeff Sessions. So is Chris Wray. If President Trump is dissatisfied with Rod Rosenstein, he can fire him with a tweet.”
Watch the exchange here:
Featured image via screen capture
