House Republicans are intensifying a multi-pronged assault to chip away at special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election.
A vocal group of conservative members has for weeks blitzed the airwaves decrying bias in Mueller’s investigation and on Thursday, two prominent members called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to step down from the Justice Department — a resignation that could clear the way for the special counsel’s dismissal.
On Wednesday, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), secured the backing of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to enforce a swath of subpoenas probing the Justice Department’s use of the so-called Steele dossier in the probe.
And on Friday, two Republican senators asked the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into the author of the dossier, Christopher Steele.
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The increased action by Republicans comes in a midterm election year where the party is worried about losing its House and Senate majorities given Trump’s anemic poll numbers. While the Senate map gives the GOP good odds to continue its majority, members of both parties see potential for Democrats to retake the House.
The dossier has become a key weapon in Republican attempts to undermine the Mueller probe, as lawmakers have questioned whether the shadowy document was used as the justification for a politically-motivated investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to swing the election.
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If Sessions stepped down, it would open the door for Trump to appoint a replacement open to dismissing the special counsel. Because Sessions has recused himself from the Russia probe, the power to fire Mueller currently rests with deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
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GOP lawmakers escalate assault on Mueller's probe https://t.co/zaZlXpYWS9 pic.twitter.com/ENsT9NUeRe
— The Hill (@thehill) January 6, 2018
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