Senate GOP shoots down talk of impeaching Rosenstein
Senate Republicans are throwing cold water on House talk of trying to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
The issue boiled over when House conservatives, led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), introduced an impeachment resolution this week as part of an effort to force the Justice Department to hand over documents tied to the probe of Hillary Clinton’s private email server and the FBI’s decision to launch its investigation into Russian election interference.
Meadows ultimately backed down, for now, after meetings with House leadership. He said that while he was giving the Justice Department “one last chance,” the impeachment option remains on the table.
But Senate Republicans warned Thursday that such an effort — if it could muster up enough support to pass the House — would be a non-starter in their chamber.
“I don’t make much of it,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who has become a vocal critic of the administration. “I think everybody realizes there is nothing to it.”
When asked if he thought an impeachment resolution was an effective way to get documents from the administration, he joked: “It seems like if you have 13 signatures it wouldn’t be very effective.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called talk of trying to impeach Rosenstein “totallyunjustified.”
“It is a total misuse of the impeachment process,” she said, adding that she supports Rosenstein, who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/399113-senate-gop-shoots-down-talk-of-rosenstein-impeachment