There's a lot of fallout from the fiasco that was the Strzok hearing last week, not the least of which is that the Republicans are turning on each other like rats, apparently, and they're going after one of their own, Rod Rosenstein. First they threatened him with contempt charges, now with impeachment. Politico:
Conservative GOP lawmakers have been plotting to remove Rosenstein for weeks, accusing him of slow-walking their probe of FBI agents they’ve accused of bias against President Donald Trump.
You heard Trey Gowdy, Louie Gohmert, Steve King and others completely disgrace their legislative chamber, a display which Charles Pierce characterized as "the most embarrassing episode in representative democracy in 400 years," as Republicans scurried to make Strzok the bad guy and cover for Donald Trump's thievery -- because when all is said and done this is about money and the fact that Trump turned to Russia when nobody else would give him a loan and the 2008 housing bubble collapsing was threatening to tank him for good. Esquire:
Just as long as we’re all on the same page. It always has been about the money, and to whom the president* owes it, and what else he might owe those folks, and what might he do to settle those debts. Which makes the display in the House on Thursday all the more comical, as well as being the most embarrassing episode in representative democracy since the dissolution of The Useless Parliament in 1625, and that one had an outbreak of bubonic plague to excuse its floundering. This one only had Steve King. Not sure which way I’d go on the swap there, actually.
The first mistake everyone made was making this a joint hearing between the House Judiciary Committee and the House Government and Oversight Committee. Not only did this divide the overall chair of the panel between Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Trey Gowdy, the lopheaded Javert of Benghazi, Benghazi!, Benghazi!, but also it brought together an exaltation of wingnut crazy unmatched in the Congress since the last time Michele Bachmann dined alone with the voices in her head.
One of the wingnut crazies was none other than Jim Jordan, who, in view of his own problems, one would have thought would have been a bit more circumspect in attacking anybody else right now. Back to Politico:
Conservative sources say they could file the impeachment document as soon as Monday, as Meadows and Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) look to build Republican support in the House. One source cautioned, however, that the timing was still fluid. [...]
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, in fact, had the impeachment document on the floor of the House at the very moment that Rosenstein spoke to reporters and TV cameras Friday. [...]
Democrats contend Republicans’ fixation on Rosenstein is really an effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller, who reports to Rosenstein and has been making inroads in his investigation of the Russian election interference plot. Mueller’s probe has entangled members of Trump’s inner circle and Trump has increasingly assailed it as a politically motivated “witch hunt” as it’s presented greater danger to him and his allies.
Just remember that in Republican world projection is what they do best. If there are cries of "rigged" and "witch hunt" and "finish this the hell up because you're hurting the country" that is exactly what they themselves are doing. Jim Jordan in particular has been screaming "deep state witch hunt" lately so it makes perfect sense that he and Meadows would be leading the purge of Rosenstein. And just as an aside, isn't it interesting how all those wrestlers from one college took a job with the Deep State?
If they do try to do anything to Rosenstein on Monday it will probably be to create a smoke screen to conceal what Trump is doing with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. They're trying to protect their boy, first, last and always. The Republican party, leadership you can depend on.
[cross-posted to PolitiZoom]