Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena emails, phone records and other documents of Republican lawmakers on the House Intel Committee back in January, confirming previous reports

Fox News Catherine Herridge reported:

The emails memorialized a January 2018 closed-door meeting involving senior FBI and Justice Department officials as well as members of the House Intelligence Committee. The account claimed Rosenstein threatened to turn the tables on the committee’s inquiries regarding the Russia probe. “The DAG [Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein] criticized the Committee for sending our requests in writing and was further critical of the Committee’s request to have DOJ/FBI do the same when responding,” the committee’s then-senior counsel for counterterrorism Kash Patel wrote to the House Office of General Counsel. “Going so far as to say that if the Committee likes being litigators, then ‘we [DOJ] too [are] litigators, and we will subpoena your records and your emails,’ referring to HPSCI [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] and Congress overall.” TRENDING: BREAKING: 'At Least 10 Shots' Reportedly Fired at Police By Louisville Black Lives Matter Rioters — UPDATE... At Least Two Officers Shot (VIDEOS) A second House committee staffer at the meeting backed up Patel’s account, writing: “Let me just add that watching the Deputy Attorney General launch a sustained personal attack against a congressional staffer in retaliation for vigorous oversight was astonishing and disheartening. … Also, having the nation’s #1 (for these matters) law enforcement officer threaten to ‘subpoena your calls and emails’ was downright chilling.” The committee staffer noted that Rosenstein’s comment could be interpreted as meaning the department would “vigorously defend a contempt action” — which might be expected. But the staffer continued, “I also read it as a not-so-veiled threat to unleash the full prosecutorial power of the state against us.”

Of course the FBI and DOJ are disputing this account and defending Rosenstein.

The swamp always protects their own.

A DOJ official told Fox News that Rosenstein “never threatened anyone in the room with a criminal investigation.” The official said the department and bureau officials in the room “are all quite clear that the characterization of events laid out here is false,” adding that Rosenstein was responding to a threat of contempt.

“The Deputy Attorney General was making the point—after being threatened with contempt — that as an American citizen charged with the offense of contempt of Congress, he would have the right to defend himself, including requesting production of relevant emails and text messages and calling them as witnesses to demonstrate that their allegations are false,” the official said. “That is why he put them on notice to retain relevant emails and text messages, and he hopes they did so. (We have no process to obtain such records without congressional approval.)”

The DOJ official also told Fox News that once Rosenstein returns from a business trip, “he will request that the House General counsel conduct an internal investigation of these Congressional staffers’ conduct.”

This Fox News report confirms what attorney Gregg Jarrett previously stated in early February.

Gregg Jarrett tweeted: A 2nd source has now confirmed to me that, in a meeting on January 10, Deputy A-G Rosenstein used the power of his office to threaten to subpoena the calls & texts of the Intel Committee to get it to stop it’s investigation of DOJ and FBI. Likely an Abuse of Power & Obstruction.

A 2nd source has now confirmed to me that, in a meeting on January 10, Deputy A-G Rosenstein used the power of his office to threaten to subpoena the calls & texts of the Intel Committee to get it to stop it’s investigation of DOJ and FBI. Likely an Abuse of Power & Obstruction. — Gregg Jarrett (@GreggJarrett) February 3, 2018

Gregg Jarrett says what Rosenstein did is a crime.

It is a crime for a government official to use his office to threaten anyone, including a member of Congress, for exercising a constitutionally protected right. See 18 USC 242 and other similar abuse of power statutes. — Gregg Jarrett (@GreggJarrett) February 3, 2018

Rosenstein should no longer serve as DAG, [if true] said Gregg Jarrett in February.

Again, if true, Rosenstein’s action was an illegal abuse of power and he should no longer serve as Deputy Attorney General. He allegedly used threats to try to stop the Intelligence Committee from exposing wrongful behavior in an attempt to cover it up. — Gregg Jarrett (@GreggJarrett) February 3, 2018

On Tuesday, Gregg Jarrett took a swipe at fake news HuffPost.

On Feb. 3, I tweeted that Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena calls & texts of Intel Committee. Ryan Reilly of Huff Post called my reporting “dubious”. He was wrong. See https://t.co/L7HkH3ESPU — Gregg Jarrett (@GreggJarrett) June 12, 2018

Rod Rosenstein is the cancer of the Justice Department and must be removed.

Sources say Rosenstein is behind the stonewalling and slow walking and attempted redactions of the much-anticipated IG report.

Rosenstein is also trying to block Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley from interviewing FBI Special Agent Joe Pientka because he has damning information on the altered General Flynn 302’s.