House Republicans escalate tensions with DOJ -- demand FBI make three senior officials available to testify

House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who led a two-year investigation into the actions of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, has ramped up his crusade against the special counsel’s investigation into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Politico reports.

Gowdy and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte on Tuesday asked the Justice Department to make three senior FBI officials available for testimony as early as this week. The lawmakers are reportedly planning on asking about the handling of the bureau’s investigation into Clinton’s private email server and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

"Among other things, the Committees are investigating the circumstances surrounding the FBI's decision to publicly announce the investigation into former Secretary Clinton's handling of classified information, but not to publicly announce the investigation into campaign associates of then-candidate Donald Trump," Goodlatte and Gowdy wrote in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and deputy AG Rod Rosenstein.

According to Politico, pair hope to interview FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, FBI chief of staff Jim Rybicki and Lisa Page, the FBI lawyer who communicated anti-Trump messages with FBI agent Peter Strzok.

Republicans on told Politico that Goodlatte is prepared to subpoena the officials.