Ryan opposes the impeachment of Rosenstein, condemning him for the moment

WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Paul Ryan denounced the efforts of a small Conservative group to indict Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday, sweeping the company for the time being and facilitating a months-long confrontation between Republicans in the House and the Department of Justice [19659003]. The investigation of Russia, does not reach the level of "crimes and high crimes" that could justify an impeachment under the Constitution. "I do not think we should be riders with this process or with that term," Ryan said. Ryan made these comments a day after the group of 11 House Republicans intensified the protracted clash with the Justice Department by filing indictments against Rosenstein, who oversees the lawyer. special. The investigation by Robert Mueller

Their move late Wednesday came after months of criticism targeting the department – and the Russian investigation in particular – of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. Trump fumed about the Mueller probe and repeatedly called it "witch hunt", a refrain picked up by some lawmakers

Mueller investigating Russia's interference in the US. election of 2016 and if the Trump campaign was involved. The efforts were led by North Carolina representative Mark Meadows, chairman of conservative House Freedom Caucus, who often confides in Trump and often defends him with his colleagues

. Ryan reproved his disapproval. He voted in favor of the impeachment resolution and stated that he would not use any procedural maneuvers to trigger an immediate vote – which he had threatened to do. The House left Thursday afternoon for a five-week suspension

. Instead, Meadows said the leaders promised to hold Rosenstein for contempt of Congress when the House returns in September if some documents are still pending. The agreement came after discussions in the House with Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Steve Scalise, Louisianne, House GOP Leader,

. The judicial committee, according to republican aides.

Meadows said the five-week delay would give the department "one last chance" to deliver. He did not rule out attempting a dismissal vote in the future.

"Now, it's in the court of Rod Rosenstein," says Meadows.

Ryan's tone was very different.

He said about several requests for documents

Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended Rosenstein in a Boston speech, claiming he had "the utmost confidence". in his first deputy Rosenstein oversaw the investigation on Russia since last year, when Sessions has recused himself as a result of reports of his own meeting with the Russian ambbadador

Asked in May about rumors that Republicans in the House could move to impeachment.I think they should understand now, the Justice Department is not going to be extorted, "he said. .

The White House was ambivalent as to whether Trump supported the effort to attack Rosenstein. "The president has been clear that he wants the DOJ to be transparent and cooperate with Congress," spokesperson Hogan Gidley told reporters.

Jim Jordan and the other Republicans who introduced the resolution criticized Rosenstein and the Department of Justice. Officials have not been responsive enough because House committees have demanded documents related to the establishment of the investigation in Russia and an investigation now closed on emails from Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The five articles of the accusation would accuse Rosenstein of not producing information. has provided legislators with over 800,000 documents. The resolution notes that Rosenstein was one of several department officials who approved what some Republicans say was the inadequate oversight of Trump Carter's campaign advisor Page

The impeachment resolution also criticizes Rosenstein for refuse to produce a note that describes the scope of the investigation and the question of whether the investigation was initiated for legitimate reasons

It is very unusual, if not unprecedented, for lawmakers to 39 require documents that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation

. FBI director Christopher Wray faced angry Republicans who accused the FBI of bias and suggested the department conspired against Trump. "The indictment is a punishment, it's not a cure," said Trey Gowdy, chairman of the government's oversight and reform committee, who led one of the House's GOP investigations into the issue. . department and complained of anti-Trump bias. "If you are looking for documents, then you want compliance, and you want everything that drives you toward compliance."

The impeachment resolution came about two hours after Meadows, Gowdy, Goodlatte and other GOP lawmakers met with documents. The department has created new search systems, set up clbadified reading rooms and commissioned dozens of employees to produce the hundreds of thousands of documents that Republican lawmakers have been asking for over the past year .

Democrats in the House The intelligence committees have described the dismissal effort as "a panicked and dangerous attempt to undermine an on-going criminal investigation to protect President Trump while the walls are closing again." he and his badociates. "

People and three companies. This includes four Trump campaigners and 12 Russian intelligence officers.

Democratic representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Adam Schiff of California said that Rosenstein "is one of the few restrictions against the excesses of the president and"

In addition to Meadows and Jordan, the Republican lawmakers who sponsored the indictment articles are representatives Jody Hice from Georgia, Jeff Duncan from South Carolina, Andy Biggs from Arizona, Louie Gohmert from Texas, Matt Gaetz from Florida, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Bill Posey of Florida and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

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Associate Press Editors Alan Fram, Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Philip Marcelo in Boston contributed to this report.

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