WASHINGTON _ As President Donald Trump continues to rage against the Russia investigation clouding his administration, House Republicans called in top law enforcement officials for questioning Thursday and escalated their demands for sensitive documents about the case.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray, both of whom were appointed by Trump, testified to the House Judiciary Committee about a recent Justice Department inspector general report that White House allies claim proves bias among FBI investigators in the Russia probe.
Peter Strzok, a senior FBI agent who expressed disdain for Trump in private text messages during the campaign, was questioned for more than 11 hours in closed-door sessions on Wednesday.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the committee chairman, opened Thursday's hearing by comparing the proceedings to the so-called Church Committee, a Senate investigative panel led by then-Sen. Frank Church of Idaho that examined and exposed abuses by intelligence agencies in 1975.
"This history shows we have already found ourselves, once before, in a situation where the FBI and other intelligence agencies violated their oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States," he said.
Democrats have rejected that assessment and accused Republicans of trying to undermine special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the investigation into whether anyone in the Trump campaign or White House assisted a Russian intelligence operation, with spurious charges and partisan interference.
"We cannot hide from our responsibility not to interfere with a proper investigation," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the House committee.
House Republicans also are pushing for a resolution that would set a July 6 deadline for the Justice Department to turn over confidential records on the FBI's use of secret surveillance during the campaign.
The resolution, which is scheduled for a House vote on Thursday, is not legally binding but it could be a precursor to more aggressive steps, such as attempts to remove Rosenstein from his post.
Rosenstein appointed Mueller last year and supervises his work, making him a frequent target for Trump and his supporters in Congress.
If Mueller writes a report on his findings, Rosenstein will be responsible for determining whether to make it public.
Trump has repeatedly denounced the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt," tweeting rapid-fire criticisms that have reduced public support for the special counsel's office.
The president also has urged the Justice Department to give Congress more documents about the case, an effort spearheaded by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.
After senior lawmakers received classified briefings last month about the use of an FBI informant during the 2016 presidential race, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said Trump was wrong to claim that his campaign had been spied on.
But Republicans haven't stopped asking for more documents. The resolution _ authored by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a Trump ally and leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus _ calls for all records involving "potential violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by personnel of the Department of Justice."
That act governs surveillance for intelligence purposes, and requires the FBI and Justice Department to apply to a special court for warrants.
Some Republicans contend that the FBI misled the court to get permission to secretly monitor communications by Carter Page, a former Trump campaign foreign policy advisor, during the campaign. Democrats and the FBI argued that Page was a legitimate target of surveillance due to his contacts with Russian intelligence operatives.
Democratic leaders wrote a letter to Rosenstein and Wray on Wednesday expressing concern that the Justice Department and the FBI are turning over too much information about an ongoing investigation "despite the corrosive implications."
"As the attacks on the Special Counsel intensify, it is imperative that you withstand pressure on DOJ and FBI to violate established procedures and norms," they wrote. "Your role in preserving the integrity of the Special Counsel's investigation and, most importantly, our justice system has become even more vital."
Much of Republicans' recent focus has been on Strzok, who led the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of State, and also helped launch the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He was removed from Mueller's team last year when his text messages critical of Trump came to light.
In August 2016, Strzok received a message from an FBI colleague saying, "(Trump's) not ever going to become president, right? Right?!" Strzok replied, "No. No he won't. We'll stop it."
Strzok told the inspector general's office that the message was not intended to imply that the FBI would take any action to undermine Trump's campaign, only that he was confident Trump would not win the election.
