Articles of impeachment introduced against Rosenstein

A group of Republican House lawmakers introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Rosenstein is a top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russian meddling allegations.

These articles contain a series of allegations, including conflict of interest in Mueller's probe.

The Hill quoted Meadows, the head of the House Freedom Caucus and ally of President Trump, as saying, "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. 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."

"As such, his conduct in authorising the FISA surveillance at issue in the joint congressional investigation makes him a fact witness central to the ongoing investigation of potential FISA abuse," read the articles of impeachment, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

The statement also called out to General Rosenstein's failure to recuse himself in light of this inherent conflict of interest and failure to recommend the appointment of a second Special Counsel constitute dereliction of duty.

"Wherefore, Rod Rosenstein, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office," the statement read.

The impeachment articles come less than two weeks after special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers in the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Clinton presidential campaign.

In the recent past, reports surfaced suggesting the possibility of firing Rosenstein after US President Donald Trump was asked if he retained confidence on the former following the release of Republican memo, which indicated alleged surveillance abuses of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

However, an official of the White House said that there were no discussions about firing Rosenstein.