Gowdy rules out Rosenstein impeachment

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) on Sunday ruled out the possibility of impeaching Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, saying there is not enough support for his ouster. 

“Impeach him for what?” Gowdy said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “No.” 

“I’m not convinced there is a movement,” Gowdy added, citing Politico’s recent report that a group of GOP lawmakers are preparing to impeach Rosenstein.

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Conservatives frustrated with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election have long targeted Rosenstein. Some lawmakers claim he has delayed their investigation into FBI agents involved in Mueller’s investigation who they feel are biased against President Trump. 

Gowdy has previously been critical of Rosenstein.

“I’ve had my differences with Rod Rosenstein,” said Gowdy, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “I talk to him quite often privately, which again is a lot more constructive than the public hearings we have.”

Lawmakers grilled Rosenstein during a public hearing last month, accusing him of withholding information from Congress and urging him to end Mueller’s investigation.

Some say that Rosenstein is the only person with the legal authority to fire Mueller.

Gowdy on Sunday said Rosenstein is a “Trump appointee” and that if “President Trump is dissatisfied with Rod Rosenstein, he can fire him with a tweet.”

The impending GOP plan to impeach Rosenstein comes less than a week after Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officials for conspiring to hack into Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee networks.

Gowdy also said he supports Mueller’s investigation.

“I don’t think it’s a witch hunt,” Gowdy said.

“Russia attacked this country in 2016,” Gowdy added. “That’s the No. 1 thing we’ve asked Mueller to look at.”