Rep. Jerrold Nadler said Wednesday that if Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is fired, it could completely upend the special counsel’s investigation.

“If he were fired and someone else [put] in, they could throttle the investigation without anyone knowing about it. The new person could fire Mueller — that we’d know about — or he could simply say to Mueller, ‘Don’t look at this. Don’t look at that,’ ” Mr. Nadler, New York Democrat, said on CNN referring to special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mr. Nadler added that House Republicans were being unreasonable in their request for documents related to both the Hillary Clinton investigation and the ongoing Russia probe.

“They demanded all kinds of documents, which you shouldn’t turn over because they’re part of an ongoing criminal investigation. He turned over some of them anyway,” Mr. Nadler said.

Mr. Rosenstein addressed reports that some members of Congress had drafted articles of impeachment against him for failing to turn over requested documents in a timely manner. He said Tuesday the Department of Justice would not be “extorted.”

“Any kind of threats that anybody makes are not going to affect the way we do our job. We have a responsibility, and we take an oath. That’s the whole point,” Mr. Rosenstein said at a Newseum event in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Mark Meadows, who chairs the conservative Freedom Caucus, responded to the comments, saying it’s Mr. Rosenstein’s job to turn over those documents.

“If he believes being asked to do his job is ‘extortion,’ then Rod Rosenstein should step aside and allow us to find a new Deputy Attorney General — preferably one who is interested in transparency,” Mr. Meadows, North Carolina Republican, tweeted.

If he believes being asked to do his job is ‘extortion,’ then Rod Rosenstein should step aside and allow us to find a new Deputy Attorney General—preferably one who is interested in transparency — Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) May 1, 2018

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