GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s top allies in the House are considering a last-ditch attempt to circumvent Republican leaders and punish Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a regular Trump confidant, said Tuesday [7-24-18] he’s weighing the introduction of a resolution to hold Rosenstein in contempt of Congress. That move that could force a vote — even without Speaker Paul Ryan’s blessing — before the House leaves town for a five-week recess on Thursday [7-26-18]. Under House rules, lawmakers can force a vote on such a ‘privileged’ motion two days after filing it. If Meadows were to file his resolution before the end of the day Tuesday, he’d be empowered to seek a vote before the House departs on Thursday. Meadows described his thinking on whether to file the resolution ‘fluid.’ The move would come over the objections of Ryan and other House leaders. It would mark a sharp escalation of efforts to undercut the nation’s second most powerful law enforcement official, one who holds great sway over Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russians.”
-Kyle Cheney and John Bresnahan, “Trump allies weigh last-ditch bid to punish Rosenstein,” Politico, July 24, 2018 4:47 pm