Sessions defends deputy Rosenstein after impeachment move
![Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, talks with reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the Capitol on June 26, 2018.]({"default":{"load":"defer","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBL6dU1.img?h=200&w=200&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=t&l=f&x=1949&y=1101"},"dpi":2})
![U.S. President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One after arriving in Dubuque, Iowa, U.S., July 26, 2018.]({"default":{"load":"defer","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBL6a39.img?h=200&w=200&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=t&l=f&x=1927&y=1078"},"dpi":2})
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday defended his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, and took a swipe at fellow Republicans in Congress who moved to impeach Rosenstein, who oversees the federal probe of Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election.
"My deputy, Rod Rosenstein, is highly capable. I have the highest confidence in him," Sessions said during an appearance in Boston.
"What I would like Congress to do is to focus on some of the legal challenges that are out there," including illegal immigration, the attorney general added.
A group of Republican lawmakers on Wednesday introduced articles of impeachment to remove Rosenstein, the deputy U.S. attorney general, escalating a fight over Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Republican President Donald Trump's campaign worked with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.
![U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions gestures during a news conference at the Moakley Federal Building in Boston, Thursday, July 26, 2018.]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"46","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBL5XiD.img?h=912&w=1598&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"dpi":2,"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"36","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBL5XiD.img?h=712&w=1248&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"36","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBL5XiD.img?h=712&w=1248&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
© AP Photo/Charles Krupa U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions gestures during a news conference at the Moakley Federal Building in Boston, Thursday, July 26, 2018.Representatives Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows, who belong to the conservative House Freedom Caucus, joined nine other members of the House of Representatives in accusing Rosenstein of hiding investigative information from Congress, failure to comply with congressional subpoenas and other alleged misconduct.
No immediate action was expected on the move. The House was scheduled to leave on Thursday for a recess that extends until September. A House Republican aide said the two lawmakers were not trying to force quick action on the measure.
Rosenstein, the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, has become a frequent punching bag for Trump supporters for appointing Mueller to take over the Russia investigation from the FBI. The president has denied any collusion with Moscow took place, and has characterized the probe as a "witch hunt." Russia has denied meddling in the election.
Democrats criticized the Republican move. House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi noted that Rosenstein is a Republican appointee and said the Republican lawmakers were undermining the judicial system with a politically motivated action.
"The attack on Rosenstein of course is an attack on the Mueller investigation," Pelosi said at a news conference on Thursday. (Reporting by Nate Raymond and Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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