Democrats barred minority appointments to their Select Committee on Jan. 6 that was established in June 2020. In their resolution to establish a Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government last month, Republicans welcomed minority appointments. The new committee’s first hearing on Thursday, however, dispelled any ideas that Democrats will participate in good faith.
Republican Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio kicked off the investigation aiming to implement desperately needed reforms of U.S. intelligence agencies.
“We expect to bring forward legislation that will protect the American people,” Jordan said in his opening statement. “We hope our Democrat colleagues will work with us.”
Democrats responded to the invitation with hyperbolic claims Republicans were chasing conspiracies. Democrats also used the hearing to demand Republicans disclose whistleblower reports, even though Democrats denied whistleblower reports to Republicans under Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s speakership.
After Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson R-Wis., detailed gross collusion by the FBI and the corporate press to undermine congressional oversight of the federal intelligence apparatus for years, Maryland Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin complained Republicans were the ones “weaponizing” government.
“The odd name of the weaponization subcommittee constitutes a case of pure psychological projection,” Raskin said. “By establishing a select subcommittee, they’re telling us that Donald Trump’s followers, who obviously control this subcommittee, will continue weaponizing any part of the government they can get their hands on to attack their enemies defined as anyone who stands in the way of their quest for power.”
The Maryland lawmaker served a key role on the Democrats’ Jan. 6 Committee 20 years after he published a book that accused the Cheney family of stealing the 2000 election.
Raskin was followed by former Hawaii Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who shared her experience being personally targeted by the censorship regime as a “Russian asset.” Gabbard’s 2019 presidential campaign was also handicapped by big tech censorship, which derailed her ability to communicate with voters.
Her experience symbolizes how political decisions in Silicon Valley interfere with the democratic process. That also played out routinely in 2020 when the FBI pressured corporate tech titans to suppress incriminating stories about the Biden family.
“The more we allow this to happen, we start looking less and less like a democratic republic and more and more like a banana republic,” Gabbard testified.
The Democrats later interrupted questioning during the second panel to demand a level of transparency they refused to offer Republicans for the past four years. After Republicans referenced multiple FBI whistleblowers detailing political bias in the agency, Democrats demanded the names and transcripts of those who came forward.
“There has been a lot of mention of information and testimony that you all have received from whistleblowers,” said New York Rep. Dan Goldman, D, in a point of order. “When are you planning on providing that to the minority?”
Jordan told his Democrat colleague that minority lawmakers were welcome to attend the transcribed interview of one FBI whistleblower who testified Tuesday.
“You could have been for the very first deposition, excuse me transcribed interview,” Jordan said.
“You talk about dozens of whistleblowers,” Goldman responded, “when are we going to get that information?”
“When they testify,” Jordan said.
The Ohio congressman has been detailing the accounts of a “multitude” of FBI whistleblowers for months as Democrats sought to hide agency misconduct. Now that lawmakers are examining allegations of government abuse with a Republican majority in the lower chamber, whistleblowers have begun to officially testify before the new Select Committee.
Goldman, with Democrat ranking member Stacey Plaskett representing the Virgin Islands, demanded the names of those who have already come forward, along with transcripts of their conversations with Republican staff.
As Democrats began to grandstand in Thursday’s hearing, Jordan reminded the committee Republicans were denied the same level of transparency during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Then-House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff of California coordinated behind the scenes with the whistleblower over Trump’s alleged misconduct with Ukraine.
“You’ll have access to the transcript like everyone on the committee will,” Jordan assured Goldman.
Throughout the hearing, Democrats continued to claim it was Republicans abusing their power and blamed their majority colleagues for every lunatic who ever threatened the FBI.
“When Republicans are in charge, they use the levers of power to weaponize government,” said Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
