JEFF SESSIONS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/PAUL RYAN/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions and House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out against ousting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Thursday [7-26-18], a day after fellow Republicans mounted an effort to impeach him amid a fight over the Russia investigation…Earlier in the day, Mr. Sessions said Congress should focus its attention on toughening U.S. immigration laws instead of Mr. Rosenstein’s impeachment. ‘My deputy Rod Rosenstein is highly capable, I have the highest confidence in him,’ Mr. Sessions said at a news conference about identity fraud cases in Boston. Some House conservatives filed articles of impeachment against Mr. Rosenstein on Wednesday [7-25-18] after a monthslong tug of war with the Justice Department over sensitive information about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The special counsel probe is looking into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and possible obstruction of justice. Mr. Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the probe a ‘witch hunt.’ Mr. Ryan’s comments further dim prospects that the push for impeachment will proceed, and Mr. Sessions’ remarks were a rare public show of support for Mr. Rosenstein.”
-Sadie Gurman and Natalie Andrews, “Attorney General Sessions, House Speaker Ryan Oppose Impeachment of Rod Rosenstein,” The Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2018 1:36 pm