House passes resolution demanding that DOJ hand over more documents in Russia probe

Erin Kelly | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The House voted Thursday to approve a resolution "insisting" that the Justice Department hand over scores of documents by next Friday about the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

Lawmakers voted 226-183, along party lines, to pass the non-binding resolution by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who is the leader of the House Freedom Caucus and believes the documents will clear President Trump of any wrongdoing.

"When we get these documents, we believe that it will do away with this whole fiasco of what they call the Russian-Trump collusion because there wasn't any," Meadows said.

If Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein doesn't comply with the request by July 6, Republicans said they will move to hold him in contempt of Congress or impeach him. Impeachment is a rarely used punishment that would be almost impossible to pass in the closely divided Senate.

"If the DOJ fails to comply, then we'll be forced to take it to the next level, to hold Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein in contempt or even impeach, which would be my preferred course of action right now," said Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

Democrats charged that Republicans are going after Rosenstein in an effort to discredit the ongoing Russia investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whom Rosenstein oversees. They said Republicans would hand any information they get over to Trump to help the president defend himself and his associates.

"This is not oversight," said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "This is collaboration with the president masquerading as oversight."

Tuesday's action escalates a battle between conservative House Republicans and the FBI and Department of Justice over what Congress should be able to see in the middle of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Justice officials have already turned over thousands of documents to Congress but have balked at releasing information about the Russia investigation before it is done.

Thursday's vote came as Rosenstein and Wray were being pressed about the document requests by members of the House Judiciary Committee at a heated hearing. The committee on Tuesday approved a resolution similar to the one passed by the House on Thursday.

In addition to documents involving the Russia probe, the resolution seeks information about the now-closed 2016 investigations into the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. The FBI investigated allegations that Clinton Foundation donors were given special access to Hilary Clinton. No charges were filed in that case or in the email probe.

GOP conservatives charge that the Department of Justice and FBI have been biased against Trump and and in favor of Clinton.

They cite a recent report by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz that uncovered anti-Trump text messages by five FBI officials. One of those officials, Peter Strzok, testified Wednesday before the Judiciary Committee in closed session.

However, the inspector general's report also concluded that there was no evidence that political bias motivated the Justice Department's ultimate decision against prosecuting Clinton for using a private email server.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said House members have no legal right to see any documents related to the Russia investigation until that probe is complete.

"(Republicans) likely view this impossible request as a win-win proposition," Nadler said. "If they somehow bully the Department of Justice into turning over materials that go to the core of Special Counsel Mueller's investigation, that information...probably would be shared with the subjects of the investigation, mainly President Trump."

If Justice officials refuse to comply, Republicans "will use that fact to further smear the special counsel, deputy attorney general and anyone else investigating the president," Nadler said.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused the Justice Department of hiding information and failing to comply with legitimate congressional subpoenas from the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.

"This is real simple," Jordan said. "It's about our branch of government, the legislative branch, getting the information we are entitled to get as a separate and equal branch of government to do our constitutional duty of oversight...Enough is enough. Give us the information."

Trump has repeatedly blasted the Russia investigation as a "witch hunt" and questioned whether Russia actually meddled in the 2016 election despite repeated assurances from some of his own appointees in the CIA and FBI that it did.

U.S. intelligence agencies issued a 2017 report concluding that the Kremlin interfered in the election to try to help Trump and hurt Clinton. That conclusion was echoed earlier this year by the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Russian President Vladimir Putin viewed Clinton as an enemy because she questioned the legitimacy of Russian elections while she was secretary of state.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted that "Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election!"

Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2018

Trump's tweet prompted Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., to ask "what's wrong with him?"

"Republicans want to constantly circle the wagons around the president with every outrageous thing he says and does," McGovern said. "But this is unreal."

While Republicans pressed the Justice Department to hand over documents, Democrats told Rosenstein and Wray to resist those demands in a letter sent Thursday. The letter was signed by Schiff, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"As the attacks on the Special Counsel intensify, it is imperative that you withstand pressure on DOJ and FBI to violate established procedures and norms," the Democrats wrote. "Your role in preserving the integrity of the Special Counsel’s investigation and, most importantly, our justice system has become even more vital.