For two days, I’ve been advocating that Joe Biden and the Democrats focus on fighting the file battle against the Republicans in the House. It looks like the Republicans have already fired the first shot, though – admittedly, the name is so wide open that it’s absurd. The Republicans are super angry that all these “woke” FBI agents who listened to the Indigo Girls and The Cranberries in college are out to get conservatives. Never mind the fact that Biden was so scared of the Secret Service’s loyalty to Trump that he had to handpick his own detail and never mind that the FBI agents are, in their hearts, cops and thus tend to be more conservative. Yet, the House late yesterday formed the “Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government.”
To the extent that law-enforcement of any type appears to “hate Trump” – well, that is going to happen when Trump is campaigning in 2016 on hating “the deep state,” which includes the CIA, FBI, DOJ, State Department, continually slammed the FBI and CIA throughout his presidency, perhaps because these were the people who could get him in trouble if Trump’s very strange relationship with Russia was fully exposed.
The Republicans are already GOPing this right from the gate. The name of the committee? “Weapnization of Government,” telegraphs that they know their findings before they’ve even named all the members. It screams “overzealous” and Benghazi, Benghazi! BENGHAZI! all over again.
From the New York Times:
A divided House voted on Tuesday to launch a wide-ranging investigation into federal law enforcement and national security agencies, as Republicans promised to use their new power in Congress to scrutinize what they said was a concerted effort by the government to silence and punish conservatives at all levels, from protesters at school board meetings to former President Donald J. Trump.
The snowflakes are once again convinced everyone is out to get them, which might be true considering the broken laws and modus operandi of the Trump administration. They believe that they’ll expose a plot to “get Trump,” when in fact, they might only “expose Trump.” The hearings with Peter Strzok didn’t exactly go well in this House. He owned them.
On a party-line vote of 221 to 211 with all Democrats opposed, the House approved the formation of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which is to be chaired by Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, the incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a staunch ally of Mr. Trump.
Perfect. Make the rabid idiot chair of the Committee.
Democrats haven’t signaled whether they’ll participate on a Committee that they see as illegitimate, but they better. Only the Speaker can name people to committees (Which is why Schiff and Swalwell are off the intelligence/judiciary committee), but generally speaking, the minority leader nominates people to serve on the Committee. Jeffries should not bait the GOP by nominating Schiff or Swalwell, as effective as they might be. He should name Nancy Pelosi and some of the old guards who know the rules and have a serious presence to go up against Jim Jordan’s club.
But Democrats see this as a huge overreach. Rep. Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts:
“I call it the McCarthy committee, and I’m not talking about Kevin; I’m talking about Joe,” Mr. McGovern said, adding: “This committee is nothing more than a deranged ploy by the MAGA extremists who have hijacked the Republican Party and now want to use taxpayer money to push their far-right conspiracy nonsense.”
Correct. And it’s going to cause problems because they’re going to be subpoenaing records from an ongoing investigation from the DOJ, which will refuse to hand over evidence in an ongoing investigation, and that will lead to court cases, in other words, a mess.
But this is what Joe Biden actually needed now that he has his problem on his hands. He needs an avenue by which a committee 100% protects Trump and goes after Democrats only, not even pretending to “serve the country” but to push their extremism on everyone. This is the single most direct means by which the GOP can hang itself, as they always tend to do with these.
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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, SUBSTACK, MUCH LEFT ADO
“This is the single most direct means by which the GOP can hang itself, as they always tend to do with these.”
Except that Benghazi and HER EMAILS put the nail in the coffin for Hilary. She’d been tainted and tarnished by their lies and fear of a brilliant strong woman for decades and they pounded her more. For their base, it works.
I agree that the decades of pounding Hillary hurt her in her run. I don’t think that the Benghazi thing had anything to do with it. The “emails” was an FBI thing, and Comey was the one that put the nail in the coffin with the Weiner laptop just 8 days before the election.
Their base is unreachable and will be for a generation, at least. But as for moderates – the 10-15% that actually decide elections (along with getting our vote out despite the roadblocks), I think they get quite sick of the performance art by these committees.
I also think that this particular committee is more likely to highlight Trump’s illegal acts than it is to hurt Democrats or “the Deep State.” McCarthy has to let the far right, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz-types on this Committee and I see it blowing up in their faces.
Your point is well-taken though, at least with their base.
While moderates may get quite sick of the performance are by these committees, they will still vote party line in elections. Most of the time at least.
The Committee to Investigate the Weaponization of Government.
At least six years too late and targeting the wrong government.
The democrats have to hammer the truth just as hard at every turn of the road. Trump needs to be charged.
Mr Jeffries seems to be attempting to do that. He needs to be louder, more forceful. And all the rest of the Democrats must join in.
Hmmmm. Weaponization of government? WTF? They’re going to investigate themselves?
I do like the idea of BRANDING this as the McCarthy Committee. Kevin is headed for a bad end, just like Joe.
Well, I’m waiting for the Democrats who make it to the “special” committee (and, given the GOPer in charge, I’m already thinking this is more “special” in the sense of “Special Olympics” and less in the sense of “blue plate special” or how Marge Simpson sincerely describes Bart as her “special little guy”; but I digress . . .) to bring up all the times when a certain former guy tried to weaponize the government–as opposed to all the delusions that the current GOPers think (and I’m using that word in its absolutely broadest possible sense) is happening.
Does anyone actually believe that any Democrats are going to make it to this or any other committee formed by the gqp? I cannot even imagine them letting one Democrat on a committee, well maybe manchin, and he isn’t Democrat in reality.