Republicans Probing Alleged DOJ, FBI Corruption: Report

President Trump has called the investigations into his campaign's ties to Russia a "witch hunt." This week, Donald Trump Jr. suggested they were part of a "rigged system" of "people at the highest levels of government" working to hurt the president. Some House Republicans apparently agree. According to Politico, some Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have been meeting secretly for weeks "to build a case that senior leaders of the Justice Department and FBI improperly—and perhaps criminally—mishandled the contents" of the Russia dossier alleging ties between Trump and Russia. Led by Devin Nunes of California, the group aims to release a report on its findings early next year, in what Politico notes could be used to derail special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Republicans, who refused to discuss the effort, largely argue the Russia dossier contains false accusations. They also question whether the dossier, written by a former British intelligence agent and funded in part by Hillary Clinton's campaign, was used to obtain surveillance warrants on Trump's associates. Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says the latest effort is simply a "pernicious" attempt "to undermine the investigations and these institutions out of fear of what they'll find." Nonetheless, Nunes, who's referred to law enforcement agencies as "dirty," plans to subpoena FBI agents connected to the dossier, per Fox News. Meanwhile, Republican senators appear in no hurry to pass legislation that could protect Mueller should he be fired, reports the Washington Post. (More House Republicans stories.)