WASHINGTON — Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a resolution calling for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a move that dramatically escalates the battle over the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The effort, spearheaded by Republican Representatives Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio, also sets up a showdown with House Republican leaders, who have distanced themselves from calls to remove Rosenstein from office. But Meadows and Jordan stopped short of forcing an immediate vote on the measure, sparing Republican lawmakers for now from a potential dilemma.
‘‘For nine months we’ve warned them consequences were coming, and for nine months we've heard the same excuses backed up by the same unacceptable conduct,’’ Meadows said in a statement announcing the move. ‘‘Time is up and the consequences are here. It’s time to find a new deputy attorney general who is serious about accountability and transparency.’’
Meadows and Jordan are leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a bloc whose members have been among the most persistent critics of Rosenstein. All 11 lawmakers who filed the resolution are members of the caucus.
These Republicans accuse Rosenstein of withholding documents and being insufficiently transparent in his handling of the probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller III.
Justice Department officials have said they have provided the vast majority of information sought in subpoenas from two key House committees — and are nearly done with providing all of the outstanding information requested in those subpoenas.
Democrats have argued that House Republicans’ clashes with Rosenstein are little more than a pretext to weaken Mueller’s efforts.
WASHINGTON POST
A critic with pickax: Trump’s Hollywood star again ruined
The Hollywood Walk of Fame star belonging to President Trump has been turned into rubble — the second time in at least the past two years.
Officer L.P. Knight, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said police arrested a man they believe smashed the star with a pickax early Wednesday. Officers were called for a vandalism report at about 3:30 a.m. on Hollywood Boulevard near Highland Avenue, where Trump’s star has been for 11 years.
No other information on the suspect is available, Knight said. It also is unclear why that person destroyed the star.
In October 2016, Los Angeles resident James Lambert Otis was caught on video wearing a hard hat and an orange construction vest as he smashed Trump’s star. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said Otis then removed the brass medallion from the middle of the star.
That incident happened amid mounting allegations that the then-presidential candidate had groped and kissed women without their consent.
washington post
BJ’s Wholesale cancels signing for Spicer’s book
SEEKONK — Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s publisher says a book signing at a Massachusetts warehouse store has been canceled ‘‘due to the political climate.’’
Regnery Publishing said in a statement that the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Seekonk canceled Spicer’s book signing that was scheduled for Saturday to mark the release of ‘‘The Briefing,’’ which came out Tuesday.
Spicer, a Rhode Island native, is a veteran Republican operative who served as President Trump’s press secretary during the tumultuous early months of his administration. Several other book signings in Rhode Island are still on.
associated press
Trump defends proposed Sinclair, Tribune merger
WASHINGTON — President Trump came to the defense of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed merger with Tribune Media, days after the Federal Communications Commission raised ‘‘serious concerns’’ about the deal and began legal proceedings to challenge it on grounds the companies had misled regulators.
Trump said Tuesday it was ‘‘so sad and unfair’’ that the FCC, an independent agency, did not approve the merger, a $3.9 billion transaction that would create a conservative television giant that originally hoped to reach roughly 70 percent of US households.
In his tweet, the president stressed how the deal would provide a ‘‘conservative voice for and of the People,’’ though politics are not supposed to factor into merger considerations.
‘‘Liberal Fake News NBC and Comcast gets approved, much bigger, but not Sinclair. Disgraceful!’’ the president tweeted.
Trump’s remark could inflame a high-stakes merger proceeding that is already rife with accusations of political cronyism. And it comes amid a broader debate concerning the treatment of conservative speech in places such as college campuses and social media, which right-wing advocates say is biased against Republicans.
washington post
Putin’s Adidas gift to Trump bears logo containing a chip
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s gift of a soccer ball to President Trump last week set off a chorus of warnings—- some of them only half in jest — that the World Cup souvenir could be bugged.
It turns out they weren’t entirely wrong. Markings on the ball indicate that it contained a chip with a tiny antenna that transmits to nearby phones.
But rather than a spy device, the chip is an advertised feature of the Adidas AG ball. The chip allows fans to access player videos, competitions, and other content by bringing their mobile devices close to the ball.
bloomberg news
