Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy tore into Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday over the long-running Russia collusion probe — telling the Justice Department at a public hearing to “finish it the hell up because this country is being torn apart.”
Gowdy’s excoriation came amid a string of tense moments at the House Judiciary Committee hearing, where a months-long battle between Republicans and the DOJ over its handling of the Russia probe and Hillary Clinton email investigation flared before the cameras.
Underscoring those tensions, as Rosenstein testified, the House approved a resolution insisting the DOJ comply with congressional subpoenas for documents related to the Russia case.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, cited that looming vote as he personally challenged Rosenstein at the hearing over his compliance.
“Why are you keeping information from Congress?” Jordan asked.
“It is not accurate, sir,” Rosenstein said.
“We have caught you hiding information,” Jordan countered.
Rosenstein insisted his team was responding to their requests.
Earlier in the hearing, Gowdy, R-S.C., spoke to frustration over the protracted Russia investigation that Rosenstein oversees, suggesting that despite a host of charges against Trump-tied figures, the investigation has not found evidence of presidential wrongdoing.
“We’ve seen the bias, we need to see the evidence,” Gowdy said. “If you have evidence of wrongdoing by any member of the Trump campaign, present it to the damn grand jury. If you have evidence that this president acted inappropriately, present it to the American people.”
“Whatever you got, finish it the hell up, because this country is being torn apart,” he said.
“The best thing we can do is finish it appropriately, and reach a conclusion,” Rosenstein assured, adding that nobody should “draw any conclusions” beyond the charges filed.
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