The Team Trump and his far right mega MAGA “HIT SQUAD” members have their work cut out for them. There’s House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, the third-highest Republican Congressperson Elise Stefanik, the RNC, Jim Jordan, the Fox News Trump sycophants and Steve Bannon ready for duty.
We’ve heard their arguments populating hate TV and Trump uber-alles social media. So, to get ahead of the crowd, allow me to share my unsolicited rebuttals:
THE PEOPLE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN JANUARY 6, THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT GAS PRICES, INFLATION, AND THE COST OF LIVING WHICH THE DEMS ARE TRYING TO IGNORE TO FOCUS ON TRUMP
So laughable since the US is doing much better than most countries economically who suffer badly from inflation and gas prices. Still, let’s assume for argument's sake that the Democrats and President Biden are completely responsible for all the economic woes. For good measure, let’s blame them for the dearth of baby formula, the Southern Border, the war in Ukraine and all other ills facing our families. Surely, if the Biden administration and the Democrats do not improve conditions, they will answer the voters at the polls. Focusing upon the past hurts their cause and trying to expose Trump only gives him strength. His whole personae is being a victim. Let’s not forget the Ralph Emerson quote, “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.”. The past three investigations have cost them politically. If they fail on the deliverables, they might as well kiss November 2022 goodbye.
I guess hoping his allies would be consistent would be too much to ask.
They have no problems with hearings that distract the public. A few years ago, McCarthy, on Fox News, took credit for pursuing Hillary Clinton on Benghazi and bragged about her decline in the polls. During the 2020 election, the country’s unemployment, the economy, and the high rate of deaths and hospitalizations were at record levels. Businesses and families faced threats as never before. Yet his loyalists had no problem demanding Hunter and Joe Biden hearings, foamed with glee over the Durham investigation. A Republican Senate committee even held the Biden hearings with weeks left until the elections. Trump supporters did not complain when the FBI reopened an investigation of Clinton during the last moments of the 2016 election. Now that their own is in real trouble, they want the world to believe that Americans cannot simultaneously focus on gas prices and the DC conspiracies.
IT IS OUTRAGEOUS THAT THE DEMS ARE INVESTIGATING AND TRYING TO GET FELLOW CONGRESSPEOPLE TO TESTIFY
So says the same people who are quick to warn they will get revenge once they take power after mid-term elections. ”Just wait ‘til we take over” has been a major battle cry.
Huh? These subpoenas of fellow lawmakers are not frivolous. Those targeted have had huge roles in what appears to be a grand conspiracy to usurp our democracy. And, if investigations are a waste of time, if investigating fellow members of Congress are setting a bad precedent, how would it serve the nation’s cause to “seek justice” once the power is shifted? If wrong is wrong, it’s wrong. Wrong doesn’t become right when empowered with might. It becomes hypocrisy.
THE “UNSELECT” JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE IS ILLEGAL AND VIOLATIVE OF CONGRESSIONAL NORMS BECAUSE PELOSI REFUSED TO ALLOW REPUBLICANS TO SIT ON THE COMMITTEE.
This argument is a complete falsehood and fraud of monumental proportions. In short, it’s a major lie with serious consequences.
As I have written before, Republicans chose not to approve a 9/11 type Commission in which a blue-ribbon panel would investigate, not current politicians. Also, under the auspices of a commission, no subpoenas could be issued without bi-partisan agreements.
Just recently, while interviewed on Fox News, Kevin McCarthy was asked if it was too late to make the investigation into a more sober, non-partisan commission.
Harris Faulkner asked him during an interview:
"Everybody would want to participate in that, I would think," she added. "Is it too late?"
"You would think so," McCarthy replied. "Pelosi played politics for seven months. Remember, Republicans and myself [sic] came out right after January asking for that type of situation. She said no."
Oh, really, Kevin? Really? And Ms. Faulkner, hasn’t kept up with the well-known facts?
It has been overwhelmingly documented that Nancy Pelosi led the charge to create such a non-political commission. The plan was approved in the House of Representatives. A small number of Republicans approved the commission in the House. So, what happened? Donald Trump and his loyalists in the US Senate torpedoed the idea.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put the brakes on the commission train. He said:
"I do not believe the additional, extraneous commission that Democratic leaders want would uncover crucial new facts or promote healing," the Kentucky Republican said. "Frankly, I do not believe it is even designed to."
According to NPR,
“The House approved the measure 252-175 last week with 35 Republicans joining all Democrats in support of the plan.
But Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, were deeply skeptical of the commission in the days leading up to the vote”.
How did McCarthy vote?
Again, NPR:
“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy came out Tuesday against a bipartisan proposal to establish a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The announcement comes a day before the House of Representatives is slated to vote on the legislation”.
And, McCarthy told Faulkner that Pelosi said, NO?
Ultimately, a more political committee was proposed, and Pelosi asked McCarthy to name his committee members. Whom did he choose? Let’s start with Jim Jordan, who would be a spy for Trump, not an investigator. It was well known that he helped Donald Trump with the “Stop the Steal” operation and would be called as a witness. Why would anybody put the fox into the chicken house?
Pelosi said no to Jordan and another Trump super loyalist, but she approved three other Republicans. McCarthy seized the opportunity, refused to appoint any Republicans, and decided to call the committee illegal.
Above all, federal judges, including a recent Trump appointee, have already ruled on the legality of and the need for the House Committee. Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee, shut down that argument when it was raised by the RNC.
IT'S ANOTHER WITCH HUNT
Trump put VP Pence’s life at risk. He feigned a DOJ investigation when he tried to get the states to reject the Biden electors. Key leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been indicted for sedition. Several them have turned evidence. They had extremely close relationships with Roger Stone, Infowars’ Alex Jones and others involved in the January 6 operation. Trump and members of his team tried to delay the January 6 ballot counting in a grand conspiracy that seems to have violated the law. Instead of seeking a court opinion over the legality of the Electoral Count act, they feared another court loss. Instead, they opted to engage in secretive activities giving rise to claims of sedition. Perhaps worse of all, there is strong evidence that Trump refused to stop the riot until three hours passed. Key former administration officials and even family members have corroborated many of the facts. How could any of this be a witch hunt?
Today, a federal judge ordered even more of John Eastman's emails delivered to the Jan. 6 select committee including one the Judge claims is further evidence of a likely crime related to the effort to overturn the election. The federal judge has already ruled that he finds that Trump and Eastman probably broke federal laws.
And these Trump pretenders are still claiming a “witch hunt”?
Here's the truth: We know why Trump and his henchmen will prostitute themselves at the altar of fear. Major GOP figures are implicated in the January 6 scrutiny. McCarthy had that infamous phone call with Trump during the riots. He won’t cooperate. The head of the GOP and officials of the Trump campaign led the charge in promoting false voter fraud claims despite their knowing the falsity. Mark Meadows, the former Chief of Staff, has volumes to tell us about why Trump refused to stop the riot. Also, Meadows coordinated with the leaders of Stop the Steal. Surely, his testimony would be woefully helpful. So would Jim Jordan’s testimony since he pushed the idea of ignoring the federal election law in favor of sending the votes back to the states. He admitted he spoke to Trump that morning, after initially hedging about his January 6 conversation.
The claims of voter fraud and the related refusals to engage in a peaceful transition started months before the elections. Shockingly, despite over 60 court cases, over 76 percent of Republicans still insist that Biden did not legitimately win the election. The party is married to that fraud which does nothing to serve our already-frail constitutional democracy.
The entire win-at-all-costs Trump election operation involved a massive conspiracy of lawmakers, party operatives, and members of the media who spread misinformation and lies to serve their cause. They devised and now are ignoring unlawful and anti-democratic strategies that in effect forever harms of republic.
Every time one of these Trump protectors tries to diminish the facts or demean the committee investigators, they do so not to present the truth. Their goal is to destroy critical information we all need if we’re going to restore faith in our divided country.
In short, their objectives are to protect a man not only unworthy of being protected but who is transforming his party into his alter-ego, a mirror of decay and corruption.
Nothing could be more harmful to the party and to the country.
Nothing.
