Washington (CNN) A Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee said Tuesday that a reported Republican effort to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who supervises the special counsel probe, would send a "terrible message."

"The President's obviously growing more and more concerned about what ultimately will be his fate," Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline told CNN's John Berman. "We should protect our democracy, protect this process, protect the rule of law. I'm very disappointed that they would even suggest that they were seriously considering removing Rod Rosenstein."

The congressman's comments were in response to a Washington Post report that members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have drafted articles of impeachment against Rosenstein in recent days. The document was obtained by the Post.

House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, told the Post that the impeachment articles are a "last resort option." They're also unlikely to gain traction in Congress, according to the Post.

But should the effort move forward, it would be referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.

Read More