House Republican "Investigations" and Other Total Nonsense

[goldenvalley]

Mar 30, 2023 20:37:18 GMT LFC said:

The Republican clown show continues and it's every bit as bad as you can imagine. Gone are the days of Traitor Gowdy who at least packaged his lies and false accusation in a somewhat slick package. Now it's Gym Jordan's circus and what we're seeing is basically "The Gong Show" on Red Bull and meth. This thread distills the insanity down to its main parts which are just mind numbing to read. This is not remotely the entire thread.

On Wednesday nights and Thursdays I scroll through Twitter looking at clips of the "hearings" run by clown Jordan and other of the show.  They all read statements about made up situations and then either move on or challenge some poor regulatory agency official to refute the BS.  It's like they are on the campaign trail only this time they are sitting in a hearing room wearing glasses and suits.  This is what they wanted...to be able to say these things into the Congressional record and get on Fox broadcasts.  It bring in $$.

[AnBr]

[LFC]

The corruption runs deep. It was, of course, assumed from the start. They are all Devin Nuneses now.

Donald Trump continues to wield enormous power on Capitol Hill as House Republicans seek to curry favor with the former president, pursuing his fixations through their investigations and routinely updating him and his closest advisers on their progress.

A number of top House GOP lawmakers have disclosed in recent days their efforts to keep the former president informed on the pace and substance of their investigations. Lines of communication appear to go both ways. Not only are Trump, his aides and close allies regularly apprised of Republicans’ committee work, they also at times exert influence over it, multiple people familiar with the talks tell CNN.

The constant, and sometimes direct, communication between Trump and the committees has emerged as a crucial method for Trump to shape Republicans’ priorities in their newly-won House majority. It also underscores the extraordinary sway an ex-president still holds over his party’s lawmakers and the deference many still afford him.

That dynamic has been on full display over the past week, as top House Republicans attempted to intervene in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation of hush money payments Trump allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. That’s led to an acrimonious back and forth between three powerful Republican committee chairs and Bragg over what, if any, jurisdiction Congress has over the DA’s work.

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, has become a key point person for Trump on Hill investigations. The New York Republican talks to Trump roughly once a week, and often more, frequently briefing him on the House committees’ work, three sources familiar with their conversations tell CNN. Trump often calls her as well, the sources said.

Stefanik and Trump spoke several times last week alone, where she walked him through the GOP’s plans for an aggressive response to Bragg.

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who serves on the House Oversight Committee, which is conducting a number of investigations into President Joe Biden, also speaks to Trump on a frequent basis. Both she and Stefanik have endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid and are said to be interested in serving as his running mate.

“I keep him up on everything that we’re doing,” Greene told CNN. “He seems very plugged in at all times. Sometimes I’m shocked at how he knows all these things. I’m like, ‘How do you know all this stuff?’”

Multiple sources tell CNN that Trump and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan speak regularly but declined to divulge whether those conversations included Jordan’s investigative efforts. 

[LFC]

Democrats continue to fight back. DA Alvin Bragg is coming after Gym Jordan and his utterly corrupt interference with a state's judicial system (so much for states' rights ... again) and his collusion with Donald Trump.

In response to the efforts by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) to "investigate" whether the Trump indictment in New York was legitimate, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has filed a countersuit against Jordan alleging improper attempts to intimidate prosecutors from doing their jobs.

This legal action is highly unusual — but, argued legal analyst Karen Friedman Agnifilo on CNN Tuesday, it has a lot of evidence backing it up.

"I mean, this lawsuit itself is unprecedented," said media analyst Sara Fischer. "We've never had anything like this. And I think the outcome of what gets decided here will determine that question. I was talking to Karen before we walked up here and I said, you know, Karen, I focus on the media. This feels like a huge deal. Am I wrong? Is it because I've never heard or seen anything like this before? Where you have a sitting member of Congress trying to sort of maneuver his way out of this, you know, investigation into the former president? And Karen, to your point, you said I've never seen anything like this?"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like this before," confirmed Agnifilo. "And D.A. Bragg, in this 50-page legal filing that was filed today, he sets out a campaign of interference and intimidation. Because, as you said, Representative Jim Jordan is trying to say, yes, it's because of these $5,000 in federal funds and that you claim that you have oversight over that."

"But really, what Alvin Bragg sets out with, including all the tweets by the former president, as well as Jim Jordan and others — he also included the photo of the baseball bat near his, near Alvin Bragg's head," said Agnifilo. "He talks about the racial — the racial slurs, the dog whistles, and also that, as a result of this campaign of intimidation by Jim Jordan and others and Trump that has been coordinated, that Alvin Bragg has gotten over 1,000 threats since then, including white powder in his office, really hateful racial slurs that have been directed at him and others."

"So he's really made, I think, an excellent case that this is an effort to intimidate him into not prosecuting, versus legitimate legislative oversight," she added.

[LFC]

More on Bragg going after Gym Jordan's abuse of power.

Bragg said in the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, that “rather than allowing the criminal process to proceed in the ordinary course, Chairman Jordan and the Committee are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation, and obstruction.”

“Chairman Jordan and the Committee have, in essence, appointed Congress as a super grand jury that can flex its subpoena power to second guess the judgment of New York citizens and interfere with the state criminal justice process,” the lawsuit reads.

Bragg says that Congress, as the federal legislature, has no oversight authority over his activities as a state prosecutor.

It’s a straightforward claim, and comes after Republicans spent years ignoring attempts at oversight from the House when Democrats were in control under the Trump administration. During that period, Trump administration officials refused to comply at even a bare minimum level with dozens of subpoenas issued by Democrat-controlled panels, a striking break with past practice.

That obstruction led to a Supreme Court decision in the Mazars case, which redefined how courts decide whether congressional subpoenas are legitimate; Bragg cited that decision in his lawsuit against Jordan.

He declared the subpoena issued to Pomerantz “invalid, unenforceable, unconstitutional” in part because it “has no legitimate legislative purpose,” a callback to the argument used by Republicans to halt congressional investigations issued by House Democrats.

Yes, it's likely a "Look! Squirrel!" by Gym.

At least one MAGA pundit suggested on Monday that it’s a way for Jordan to avoid focusing on the much hairier issue of the DOJ and FBI’s ongoing dragnet of January 6 insurrectionists — an issue that lies squarely within congressional jurisdiction, as dubious as it might be to suggest that those investigations are somehow unjust.

[LFC]

I can't believe they aren't trying to string this out further. They must realize they've squeezed all the juice out of it.

Meanwhile this stinks to high heaven right out of the gate. Anonymous whistleblower. Unnamed "high profile, controversial" person being investigated. No actual specifics. On a side note the U.S. Attorney overseeing the case is a Trump appointee who was left in place because of this "investigation." Yeah, I'll assume this is pure bullshit until somebody proves otherwise.

A supervisor at the IRS has told lawmakers that he has information that suggests the Biden administration could be mishandling the investigation into President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

In a letter to lawmakers obtained by ABC News, the lawyer for the IRS whistleblower says his client is an IRS criminal supervisory special agent "who has been overseeing the ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject since early 2020 and would like to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress."

The letter does not name Hunter Biden specifically, but lawmakers have been made aware he is the "high profile, controversial" subject that the lawyer is referring to. In addition, while the letter refers to preferential treatment that Hunter Biden has allegedly received, there are no specific examples provided to support the accusations.

The letter says that "The protected disclosures: (1) contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee, (2) involve failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case, and (3) detail examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected."

The lawyer for the whistleblower didn't immediately respond to ABC's request for comment. A spokesperson for DOJ declined to comment.

The Wall Street Journal first reported news of the letter.

"It's deeply concerning that the Biden Administration may be obstructing justice by blocking efforts to charge Hunter Biden for tax violations," House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), said in a statement.

[andydp]

One of the better summaries about the current GOP "investigation".

Joe Biden is definitely going to prison! As soon as the GOP finds its missing informant.

Couple of paragraphs from the article

The things nobody ever thought would be discussed were apparently so much bigger than anyone thought possible that Durham’s four-year investigation yielded a whopping two acquittals and one guilty plea resulting in a former FBI lawyer getting sentenced to one-year of probation. Undoubtedly the libs will think twice before again committing the crime of the century.

By comparison, what did the two-year investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller yield? A measly 34 people indicted, leading to seven guilty pleas and five prison sentences. And the people sentenced included total no-names like Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen and longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser (is “national security adviser” even that big a deal???), pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, but was pardoned by Trump prior to sentencing.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/joe-biden-is-definitely-going-to-prison-as-soon-as-the-gop-finds-its-missing-informant/ar-AA1bgJtm?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6bd53206e8e64f72a1369796a7d0e768&ei=30

[goldenvalley]

May 18, 2023 11:57:55 GMT andydp said:

One of the better summaries about the current GOP "investigation".

Joe Biden is definitely going to prison! As soon as the GOP finds its missing informant.

Couple of paragraphs from the article

The things nobody ever thought would be discussed were apparently so much bigger than anyone thought possible that Durham’s four-year investigation yielded a whopping two acquittals and one guilty plea resulting in a former FBI lawyer getting sentenced to one-year of probation. Undoubtedly the libs will think twice before again committing the crime of the century.

By comparison, what did the two-year investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller yield? A measly 34 people indicted, leading to seven guilty pleas and five prison sentences. And the people sentenced included total no-names like Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen and longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser (is “national security adviser” even that big a deal???), pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, but was pardoned by Trump prior to sentencing.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/joe-biden-is-definitely-going-to-prison-as-soon-as-the-gop-finds-its-missing-informant/ar-AA1bgJtm?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6bd53206e8e64f72a1369796a7d0e768&ei=30

The cult will never see this report, as they never saw the Mueller Report. They only hear what Barr and now the right wing pundits say about it.

[LFC]

The saga of Gym Jordan's "investigations" continue to sound like a comedy written by The Onion or Harvard Lampoon.

Former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi was critical Thursday of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and other House Republicans after the FBI sent a letter to Jordan saying that two of his witnesses, who would go on to testify before the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, had their security clearances revoked in May.

The letter says that former FBI agent Stephen Friend and current agent Marcus Allen, who is now suspended without pay, were stripped of their clearances due to security concerns, The Washington Post reported late Wednesday. Each were summoned to Congress by Republicans to claim they faced retaliation by the bureau in part for how they responded to the FBI’s investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection. Yet Friend, for instance, has embraced Jan. 6 conspiracy theories and has even been paid by Trump loyalist Kash Patel, according to Democrats on the committee, The New York Times reported in March.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Deadline White House, Figliuzzi was asked by anchor Nicolle Wallace about the letter from FBI acting assistant director Christopher Dunham, as well as a letter to Friend from Jennifer Moore, the FBI’s executive assistant director of human resources, explaining his clearance revocation.

“Essentially, Jim Jordan wasn’t ready for this. The FBI has called his bluff with this letter,” said Figliuzzi, an NBC News national security analyst. “It means the FBI has about had it with the myth that they’re retaliating against employees for merely expressing conservative opinions. I lost the date, but apparently we’re to believe the FBI is a left-wing liberal organization. That’s absolutely nonsense.”

It's sad listening to Gym trying to explain away his witnesses receiving cash gifts from Trumpland.

Two former FBI employees acting as so-called whistleblowers about the federal government's unfair persecution of conservatives on Thursday admitted that they had received money from a former adviser to Donald Trump. At a hearing of Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, suspended FBI special agent Garret O’Boyle and former FBI special agent Steve Friend both said they’d taken money from Kash Patel. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) pressed both on the payments, with Friend saying that he had received a “donation” from Patel last November. “Are you a charitable organization?” Goldman asked. “I was an unpaid, indefinitely suspended man trying to feed his family,” Friend answered. “And he’s reached out to me and said he wanted to give me a donation.” When asked if he thought the payments from Patel were “appropriate,” Jordan on Thursday thundered: “They got a family! How are they supposed to feed their family?”

Gym also doesn't believe the rules apply to him. Welcome to yet more fascism.

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) repeatedly denied Democrats’ requests to receive the testimony of one of the GOP’s self-described “whistleblowers” during Thursday’s House hearing on the “weaponization” of the FBI, prompting Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) to confront him with the actual rules.

Needless to say, Jordan was less than pleased.

During this latest hearing pushing the GOP narrative that the FBI is weaponized against conservatives, Jordan told Democrats that “you’re not getting the testimony” of FBI staff operations specialist Marcus Allen, claiming the minority party isn’t entitled to all evidence collected from whistleblowers.

“These are not whistleblowers,” Ranking Member Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) exclaimed. “The law has not determined they are whistleblowers. His attorney is just asserting that.”

Later in the hearing, after initially being shut down by Jordan, Goldman requested a point of order to state the rules, which he noted required transcripts to be made available to all members of committees.

“Where is the whistleblower exception to the rules?” Goldman wondered.

An animated Jordan said it was the “prerogative of the committee to decide” before adding: “We have the whistleblower testimony. The whistleblower does not wish it to be made available to the Democrats at this time!”

Goldman quickly shot back that “the whistleblower doesn’t make committee rules” before Jordan attempted to move on to another committee member, eventually arguing with Goldman a bit more.

This isn’t the first time that Goldman and Jordan have sparred during the subcommittee’s “weaponization” hearings. Back in February, the New York congressman questioned the chairman’s claims that he had “dozens” of whistleblowers lined up, pointing out that Democrats had not been provided with any statements from any of these individuals.

[goldenvalley]

May 19, 2023 18:59:25 GMT LFC said:

The saga of Gym Jordan's "investigations" continue to sound like a comedy written by The Onion or Harvard Lampoon.

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) repeatedly denied Democrats’ requests to receive the testimony of one of the GOP’s self-described “whistleblowers” during Thursday’s House hearing on the “weaponization” of the FBI, prompting Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) to confront him with the actual rules.

Needless to say, Jordan was less than pleased.

During this latest hearing pushing the GOP narrative that the FBI is weaponized against conservatives, Jordan told Democrats that “you’re not getting the testimony” of FBI staff operations specialist Marcus Allen, claiming the minority party isn’t entitled to all evidence collected from whistleblowers.

“These are not whistleblowers,” Ranking Member Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) exclaimed. “The law has not determined they are whistleblowers. His attorney is just asserting that.”

Later in the hearing, after initially being shut down by Jordan, Goldman requested a point of order to state the rules, which he noted required transcripts to be made available to all members of committees.

“Where is the whistleblower exception to the rules?” Goldman wondered.

An animated Jordan said it was the “prerogative of the committee to decide” before adding: “We have the whistleblower testimony. The whistleblower does not wish it to be made available to the Democrats at this time!”

Goldman quickly shot back that “the whistleblower doesn’t make committee rules” before Jordan attempted to move on to another committee member, eventually arguing with Goldman a bit more.

This isn’t the first time that Goldman and Jordan have sparred during the subcommittee’s “weaponization” hearings. Back in February, the New York congressman questioned the chairman’s claims that he had “dozens” of whistleblowers lined up, pointing out that Democrats had not been provided with any statements from any of these individuals.

I take little comfort in the above. Jordan is not looking to prove anything with this BS committee of his. He is making clips for Fox News...so the cult gets to see the BS spoken out loud in a hearing room.  To the extent that they see anything of Goldman's words, the cult knows Goldman "persecuted" Trump during the Ukraine related impeachment and if they don't know that, they know a smarty pants Jew is trying to take Jordan down with elite talk about rules when Jordan is just trying to get the truth out. 

[andydp]

Another leg on the "GYM cannot" (Like a gymkhana but with no rules).  Check the links at the end. There is room for uncertainty if the person was being paid but there's things connections that need explaining.

Jordan’s FBI “whistleblower” may have lied under oath about funding from Trump ally: report

Former FBI agent Garrett O'Boyle testified last week in Jordan's investigation into what Republicans have called the "weaponization" of agencies like the FBI against conservatives. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., asked O'Boyle during the hearing whether Patel was helping to fund his legal defense.

"Not that I'm aware of," O'Boyle replied.

However, during a February interview with the House of Representatives weaponization subcommittee, O'Boyle stated that his legal fees were being paid for by Fight With Kash, or the Kash Foundation, a nonprofit organization helmed by Patel, according to The Guardian.

Additionally, a Democratic staff report published in March indicated that Patel had appointed former Trump attorney Jesse Binnall to be O'Boyle's counsel. The Guardian reported that Binnall is on the board of directors for the Kash Foundation.

Ed note:  This was at the end.  Question is mine.

(How can you lose, when you dangle a certified money maker in front of the masses ?)

www.salon.com/2023/05/22/nothing-is-off-the-table-jim-jordan-says-hell-give-a-hard-look-at-launching-new-hillary-probe/


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/jordan-s-fbi-whistleblower-may-have-lied-under-oath-about-funding-from-trump-ally-report/ar-AA1bAVwZ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6bf6f65754fb4dfcb5fd9cfc50810f2e&ei=8

[andydp]

Just when you think it can't get any crazier, the GOP manages to outdo itself.  Snark comment: maybe this is why the whistleblower is "missing"

Joe Scarborough Openly Laughs at James Comer After Star Hunter Biden Informant Charged as a Chinese Agent

An unsealed indictment shows that Gal Luft, a dual Israeli-U.S. citizen and head of the Analysis of Global Security think tank, was charged with acting as a Chinese agent. Luft also faces charges stemming from his alleged attempts to broker arms deals and the illegal sale of Iranian oil.

Luft was arrested in Cyprus earlier this year but is currently a fugitive after skipping bail while awaiting extradition to the United States. This comes after Comer spent months touting the House Oversight Committee’s informant on President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, just for the whistleblower to go MIA.

The parting shot:

“I mean, seriously. How could we have doubted this guy?” Joe Scarborough said with obvious sarcasm. That’s when Brzezinski came up with a tongue-in-cheek name for the congressman: “Comer Simpson.”

www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/joe-scarborough-openly-laughs-at-james-comer-after-star-hunter-biden-informant-charged-as-a-chinese-agent/ar-AA1dIpTp?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=6a7aa2ec10194d14bda1405652c00584&ei=7

[goldenvalley]

Jul 11, 2023 12:25:25 GMT andydp said:

Just when you think it can't get any crazier, the GOP manages to outdo itself.  Snark comment: maybe this is why the whistleblower is "missing"

Joe Scarborough Openly Laughs at James Comer After Star Hunter Biden Informant Charged as a Chinese Agent

An unsealed indictment shows that Gal Luft, a dual Israeli-U.S. citizen and head of the Analysis of Global Security think tank, was charged with acting as a Chinese agent. Luft also faces charges stemming from his alleged attempts to broker arms deals and the illegal sale of Iranian oil.

Luft was arrested in Cyprus earlier this year but is currently a fugitive after skipping bail while awaiting extradition to the United States. This comes after Comer spent months touting the House Oversight Committee’s informant on President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, just for the whistleblower to go MIA.

The parting shot:

“I mean, seriously. How could we have doubted this guy?” Joe Scarborough said with obvious sarcasm. That’s when Brzezinski came up with a tongue-in-cheek name for the congressman: “Comer Simpson.”

www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/joe-scarborough-openly-laughs-at-james-comer-after-star-hunter-biden-informant-charged-as-a-chinese-agent/ar-AA1dIpTp?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=6a7aa2ec10194d14bda1405652c00584&ei=7

Hunter Biden strikes me as being fairly sleazy, but not as sleazy as people like Luft.  I think Luft is the sort of people that Giuliani was digging up in his attempts to make some bucks while Trump was president.

[AnBr]

Jul 11, 2023 14:59:43 GMT goldenvalley said:

Hunter Biden strikes me as being fairly sleazy, but not as sleazy as people like Luft.  I think Luft is the sort of people that Giuliani was digging up in his attempts to make some bucks while Trump was president.

Whenever someone has been the target of the reich-wing smear machine I always hold any disdain I might feel towards said target in check because you have to sort out how much is warranted and how much of my initial reaction is because of that smear job. Not saying that Hunter is a saint. There may well be a sleaze factor there, but we need to reevaluate information and filter out the disinformation and not give into knee jerk reactions.

There has been so much of the right-wing framing that many, even on the left, have accepted as truisms over the past several decades of reich-wing disinformation/framing.

[andydp]

When we last saw "Comer Simpson" he was sucking wind trying to justify his whistleblower's bona fides.  In a deus ex machina moment, reality rears its ugly head.


'Manipulated by an apparent con man': House Oversight Dems roast James Comer in scathing letter

The letter, written by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Dan Goldman (D-NY), took Comer to task for hyping up Gal Luft as a whistleblower seemingly without doing basic work to verify his claims or explore whether he may have had an ulterior motive for coming forward.

"We are concerned that an official committee of the House of Representatives has been manipulated by an apparent con man who, while a fugitive from justice, attempted to fortify his defense by laundering unfounded and potentially false allegations through Congress," they wrote. "Although Mr. Luft has been on the run for months, you touted him as a 'potential witness' and even prepared to interview him as part of your investigation. As recently as Friday, you described Mr. Luft as 'a very credible witness' about matters relating to the President’s son’s financial dealings with Chinese companies."


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/manipulated-by-an-apparent-con-man-house-oversight-dems-roast-james-comer-in-scathing-letter/ar-AA1dMizY?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=bd32edb5a1454270b882f1115e1c4576&ei=10

[goldenvalley]

[LFC]

The problem with Gym Jordan is that he's starting from such a low point, you can't tell if he's in decline.

[pnwguy]

Jul 13, 2023 18:00:37 GMT LFC said:

The problem with Gym Jordan is that he's starting from such a low point, you can't tell if he's in decline.

Too many years of toxic jock strap fumes? 😉

[goldenvalley]

Jul 13, 2023 18:06:39 GMT pnwguy said:

Jul 13, 2023 18:00:37 GMT LFC said:

The problem with Gym Jordan is that he's starting from such a low point, you can't tell if he's in decline.

Too many years of toxic jock strap fumes? 😉

Can't imagine what he was on the sideline of a wrestling match...sputtering some sort of coaching phrase, while the wrestler essentially ignored him.  (Truthfully wrestlers don't usually hear the sideline coaching during the match anyway.  So my son says.)

[andydp]

Today's update:

GOP's Key Witness "Repeatedly Lied To Federal Agents"


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-s-key-witness-repeatedly-lied-to-federal-agents/ar-AA1dRqN7?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=bab36dd38b154e1a819ac51d63e69dfd&ei=9

[goldenvalley]

Jul 14, 2023 16:35:49 GMT andydp said:

Today's update:

GOP's Key Witness "Repeatedly Lied To Federal Agents"


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-s-key-witness-repeatedly-lied-to-federal-agents/ar-AA1dRqN7?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=bab36dd38b154e1a819ac51d63e69dfd&ei=9

Twilight Zone stuff here or maybe just a bad political intrigue novel...  This guy Luft was indicted for a lot of things and then comes out with a basement video that essentially says "Hunter Biden did all the things I'm indicted for and more.  He invoked the name of his father! OMG!".  And then the nut jobs say "Ah Ha! It's exactly as we thought!" and the nut job media repeats, repeats, repeats it.  No one in that bunch care if it's true.  No one cares if Luft lied.  And certainly no one cares what Raskin and Goldman have to say about it. How do we get out of the Twilight Zone??

[LFC]

Upping the level of "total nonsense", the Republicans brought in Kanye Kennedy to testify about government censorship. Hakeem Jeffries had a few things to say about that.

"I mean the Republican hearings that have unfolded over the last few days and throughout this entire Congress are a malignant clown show that are not designed to address issues that impact the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, but instead pedal outlandish and out of control conspiracy theories," Jeffries said.

"The notion that Republicans would give a congressional platform to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who pedals anti-semitic tropes and baseless xenophobic conspiracy theories which together are directed at the Jewish community and the Chinese American community is unbelievable, which is why you can't take my Republican colleagues seriously when they tell you that they believe in tolerance."

This description is spot on.

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a living, breathing, false flag operation," he explained. "His whole campaign is being run by right-wing political operatives who have one objective, try to take down President Joe Biden."

[LFC]

CNN nails RFJ Jr. and his bullshit House testimony with definition of character.

[goldenvalley]

We'll have to see how this "impeachment inquiry" goes. Might need a separate thread, but for now "But his emails!"

When Joe Biden was Vice President, he used multiple email addresses. While members of the public might have guessed they could reach Barack Obama's running mate at, say, [e-mail], he often used email accounts under aliases like Robert Peters and JRB Ware. Biden was following a common practice among senior government officials hoping to thwart hackers, as well as prevent spammers from guessing their address and clogging their inbox, according to a White House official.

Now House Republicans, who have spent months trying and failing to show that Joe Biden was involved in his son Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings, want the National Archives to hand over more than 5,000 messages from Biden's vice presidency that relate to those email addresses, thinking those messages might reveal something new.

On Aug. 17, Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, wrote to the head of the National Archives, Colleen Shogan, to ask her to give the committee any documents where Joe Biden corresponded using the names Robert Peters, Robin Ware and JRB Ware. In that letter, Comer said that the committee wants the information to "craft legislative solutions aimed at deficiencies it has identified in the current legal framework regarding ethics laws and disclosure of financial interests related to the immediate family members of Vice Presidents and Presidents."

Comer's demands pile on to a two-year-old request from Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson asking the National Archives for communications where Biden used such aliases.

Ah ha!

Comer, the House Oversight Committee Chairman, has zeroed in on an email dated May 27, 2016, that contains Biden's schedule for that day. The email was sent by a White House aide to both Biden's Robert L. Peters email with the pri.gov domain and to Hunter Biden. Comer has said the email raises concerns that Biden was telling his son about a meeting he was having with Ukraine’s president that could be related to Hunter Biden’s role on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. “We also know that Hunter Biden and his associates were informed of then-Vice President Biden’s official government duties in countries where they had a financial interest,” said Comer in his Aug. 17 letter to the head of the National Archives.

Biden's vice presidential schedule that day includes a phone call with Ukraine's president at the time, Petro Poroshenko. The call with Poroshenko was described publicly by the White House at the time as discussing the release of a Ukrainian pilot who had been held in Russia.

But the schedule also includes information about Biden’s plans to return to his lake-front home in Wilmington, at a time when the Biden family was planning to gather together around the one-year anniversary of the death of Biden’s other son, Beau Biden.

Makes me wonder how many email address the former president used or did he just text and make phone calls and have Jared Kushner handle emailing?

[goldenvalley]

The Republicans in the House can't get their act together in terms of avoiding a government shutdown, but the impeachment "inquiry" goes on as scheduled today...some interesting clips from the CSpan cameras are on the social media site owned by Mr. Musk.  This is one of several that suggests that the Democrats sitting on the committee have been doing their homework by actually reading the discovery and noting that the prosecutors are using an edited screenshot of a text message:

I'm guessing Fox News won't be using this clip.