Andrew McCabe has faced withering criticism from President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. Legal House Republicans prepare subpoena for McCabe memos

House Republicans have initiated the process to issue a subpoena to the Justice Department for memos drafted by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to a Judiciary Committee source.

The memos have become the centerpiece of recent news reports suggesting that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein last year sought to secretly record President Donald Trump, following his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey.


House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) has faced pressure from conservatives in the House to call Rosenstein in to testify. Just moments after he revealed his intent to issue the subpoena, the Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus issued a formal call to demand Rosenstein's testimony this week — or else demand his resignation.

Goodlatte is required under committee rules to provide Democrats with at least two days notice for issuing any subpoenas — notice that he provided late Tuesday. His office confirmed late Tuesday that he intends to issue the subpoena after the waiting period elapses.

It's unclear, though, whether the demand for the McCabe memos will satisfy House conservatives, who have been putting pressure on Rosenstein for months.

"The McCabe memos have been asked for and asked about for months, and I am not optimistic that this subpoena will produce any new results," House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) told POLITICO.

McCabe was fired from the FBI earlier this year just hours before his retirement, following withering criticism from President Donald Trump and allegations by an internal Justice Department watchdog that McCabe misled investigators probing the FBI's handling of the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Citing sources who described McCabe's memos, The New York Times reported Friday that Rosenstein had proposed surreptitiously recording Trump during the chaotic week before he appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to oversee the Russia probe. The Times also reported that Rosenstein recruited support to invoke the 25th Amendment to potentially remove Trump from office.

Rosenstein and his allies have fiercely denied both aspects of the report. After days of indications that he might resign or be fired, he's due to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss the fallout from the news.

Rachael Bade contributed to this report.