published Jun 17, 2018 3:30:45 PM, by Arit John, Billy House and Ben Brody
(Bloomberg) —

House Republicans say Speaker Paul Ryan has agreed to take floor action if the Justice Department and FBI continue to withhold documents demanded by lawmakers on the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and the early stages of the probe into Russia meddling in the 2016 campaign.

“There are a number of members, including the speaker, that believe we have been waiting far too long for documents,” Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, head of the House subcommittee on government operations and a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, told Bloomberg News on Sunday. “This week is the last chance for the benefit of the doubt to be given to DOJ. Excuses will not work any longer.”

Meadows commented after House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy said on “Fox News Sunday” that “Paul made it very clear” at a meeting Friday with FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that action by the full House is coming if the issue isn’t resolved.

Other Republicans have said actions could range from a “sense of Congress” resolution to citing officials for contempt of Congress or even impeaching them. Ryan’s office had no comment.

The Republicans have said they aren’t satisfied by a plan to let only certain House and Senate leaders review some of the material, including details about an FBI informant who contacted members of Trump’s 2016 campaign to explore their ties with Russians and applications and communications with the top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

On Firing Rosenstein

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump should order Rosenstein to comply “with every subpoena of documents and witnesses to Capitol Hill” within 48 hours or face firing. Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, so firing him could set the stage for reining in or firing Mueller.

While the documents sought by House Republicans predate Mueller’s appointment, some of them say anti-Trump sentiment in the FBI and Justice Department has tainted his inquiry into the Russian meddling, whether anyone close to Trump colluded in it and whether Trump obstructed justice. Pursuing that theme, Trump’s attorney said on Sunday that the Justice Department should investigate Mueller’s investigation.

“We want the Mueller probe to be investigated the way the Trump administration has been investigated, and we’d like to see a report with the conclusions,” Rudy Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Last week’s release of a report by the Justice Department’s inspector general on accusations of misconduct at the FBI has created fresh fodder for attempts to undercut Mueller’s probe.

-With assistance from Shobhana Chandra and Alister Bull.To contact the reporters on this story: Arit John in Washington at ajohn34@bloomberg.net ;Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net ;Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net Larry Liebert, Ros Krasny

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