Thursday, August 9, 2018

Secret recording shows Nunes saying Rosenstein impeachment would delay Supreme Court pick




Image: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes Discusses The Committee's Investigation Into Russia IssuesIn this March 7, 2017, photo, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., answers questions at the U.S. Capitol during a press conference in Washington.© Provided by NBCU News Group, a division of NBCUniversal Media LLC Image: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes Discusses The Committee's Investigation Into Russia IssuesIn this March 7, 2017, photo, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., answers questions at the U.S. Capitol during a press conference in Washington.
Hard-line conservative Republicans in the House recently hit a roadblock in their effort to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein when Speaker Paul Ryan opposed the move. But one of those conservatives, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., gave a different explanation to donors recently when asked why the impeachment effort had stalled.
He said it's because an impeachment would delay the Senate's confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, made the statement in an audio recording surreptitiously made by a member of a progressive group who attended a Republican fundraiser on July 30 in Spokane, Washington. The recording was obtained by the Rachel Maddow Show and was played on MSNBC on Wednesday night.
Asked about the the impeachment plans, Nunes told a questioner that "it's a bit complicated" because "we only have so many months left."
"So if we actually vote to impeach, OK, what that does isSo if we actually vote to impeach, OK, what that does is that triggers the Senate then has to take it up," he said on the recording. "Well, and you have to decide what you want right now because the Senate only has so much time."
a man wearing a suit and tie standing in front of a curtain: President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the US Supreme Court.Kavanaugh was born and bred in the Washington, DC area and has a long history in conservative circles.His journey to the US Supreme Court has been so star-studded, one senator once called him the "Forrest Gump" of Republican politics. President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh, 53, to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the US Supreme Court. "There is no one in America more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving," Trump said at the announcement Monday night, fewer than two weeks after Kennedy said he would end his 30-year career on the bench. Republicans have praised Kavanaugh, but the Ivy League-educated veteran of George W. Bush's administration has a tough confirmation process ahead of him. Republicans' 51-49 hold on the Senate puts Kavanaugh in a precarious spot. Top Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin once called Kavanaugh the "Forrest Gump of Republican politics", and has spoken out since his nomination with concerns about how he could affect proceedings in the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's actions as obstruction of justice. And other liberals are worried about what Kavanaugh could do to abortion rights. As Kavanaugh heads to Capitol Hill to begin the confirmation proceedings, here's a look at how the Washington, DC born-and-bred conservative rose to the court's most pivotal nomination in decades:How Brett Kavanaugh, the 'Forrest Gump of Republican politics', rose to become the Supreme Court's most pivotal nomination in decades
Photo gallery by Business Insider
He continued: "Do you want them to drop everything and not confirm the Supreme Court justice, the new Supreme Court justice?"
"The Senate would have to drop everything they're doing ... and start with impeachment on Rosenstein. And then take the risk of not getting Kavanaugh confirmed," Nunes said. "So it's not a matter that any of us like Rosenstein. It's a matter of, it's a matter of timing."
Conservative lawmakers have accused Rosenstein of trying to stymie congressional oversight of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The audio of the Spokane fundraiser was obtained by the Maddow show from a member of the "Fuse Washington" progressive group who paid the $250 entry fee to attend the dinner. The event was a fundraiser for Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. A spokesperson for her campaign had no comment on the recording and Nunes' office didnt return calls for comment.
On the evening of July 25, House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-S.C., Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and nine co-sponsors introduced a resolution to impeach Rosenstein. It does not have the support of the House Republican leadership.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., commented a day after the resolution was introduced: "Do I support impeachment of Rosenstein? No, I do not."
He also said at the time that if an impeachment resolution were to pass the House, it would "tie the Senate into knots," and could delay the confirmation of Kavanaugh.
According to the audio obtained by the show, Nunes said that "I've said publicly Rosenstein deserves to be impeached," but he also said, "the question is the timing of it right before the election."
Conservative lawmakers have accused the Justice Department of trying both to tar President Donald Trump with the Russia investigation and to downplay the investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.
The Senate has only a few months to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court if they want to do it before the November midterms.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any probe of Russian election interference. Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May of 2017 to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 and other matters after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
 that triggers the Senate then has to take it up," he said on the recording. "Well, and you have to decide what you want right now because the Senate only has so much time."
a man wearing a suit and tie standing in front of a curtain: President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the US Supreme Court.Kavanaugh was born and bred in the Washington, DC area and has a long history in conservative circles.His journey to the US Supreme Court has been so star-studded, one senator once called him the "Forrest Gump" of Republican politics. President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh, 53, to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the US Supreme Court. "There is no one in America more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving," Trump said at the announcement Monday night, fewer than two weeks after Kennedy said he would end his 30-year career on the bench. Republicans have praised Kavanaugh, but the Ivy League-educated veteran of George W. Bush's administration has a tough confirmation process ahead of him. Republicans' 51-49 hold on the Senate puts Kavanaugh in a precarious spot. Top Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin once called Kavanaugh the "Forrest Gump of Republican politics", and has spoken out since his nomination with concerns about how he could affect proceedings in the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's actions as obstruction of justice. And other liberals are worried about what Kavanaugh could do to abortion rights. As Kavanaugh heads to Capitol Hill to begin the confirmation proceedings, here's a look at how the Washington, DC born-and-bred conservative rose to the court's most pivotal nomination in decades:How Brett Kavanaugh, the 'Forrest Gump of Republican politics', rose to become the Supreme Court's most pivotal nomination in decades
Photo gallery by Business Insider
He continued: "Do you want them to drop everything and not confirm the Supreme Court justice, the new Supreme Court justice?"
"The Senate would have to drop everything they're doing ... and start with impeachment on Rosenstein. And then take the risk of not getting Kavanaugh confirmed," Nunes said. "So it's not a matter that any of us like Rosenstein. It's a matter of, it's a matter of timing."
Conservative lawmakers have accused Rosenstein of trying to stymie congressional oversight of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The audio of the Spokane fundraiser was obtained by the Maddow show from a member of the "Fuse Washington" progressive group who paid the $250 entry fee to attend the dinner. The event was a fundraiser for Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. A spokesperson for her campaign had no comment on the recording and Nunes' office didnt return calls for comment.
On the evening of July 25, House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-S.C., Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and nine co-sponsors introduced a resolution to impeach Rosenstein. It does not have the support of the House Republican leadership.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., commented a day after the resolution was introduced: "Do I support impeachment of Rosenstein? No, I do not."
He also said at the time that if an impeachment resolution were to pass the House, it would "tie the Senate into knots," and could delay the confirmation of Kavanaugh.
According to the audio obtained by the show, Nunes said that "I've said publicly Rosenstein deserves to be impeached," but he also said, "the question is the timing of it right before the election."
Conservative lawmakers have accused the Justice Department of trying both to tar President Donald Trump with the Russia investigation and to downplay the investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.
The Senate has only a few months to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court if they want to do it before the November midterms.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any probe of Russian election interference. Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May of 2017 to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 and other matters after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
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