House of Representatives
May 19, 2023 — Scott Johnson
House Republicans convened a hearing on FBI whistleblowers yesterday. The name of the committee is a mouthful — the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Rep. Jim Jordan is chair of both the House Judiciary Committee and this House subcommittee and chaired the hearing. The hearing was a companion to the interim staff report released yesterday. The subcommittee heard testimony from three FBI whistleblowers and
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May 18, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Miranda Devine celebrates the beatdown of the repulsive Rep. Dan Goldman by reporter Julio Rosas at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Tuesday. Devine’s column is headlined “Taking down loathsome lefty pol Dan Goldman.” Goldman cuts a ridiculous figure as he appeals to the authority of the FBI. His timing of the appeal to authority is a bit off in this case. Goldman’s histrionic appeal to authority comes in
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May 10, 2023 — Scott Johnson
We are obviously crushed by the voluminous bad news. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy provides what must count as today’s good news. He has foiled Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s attempt to host an event at the Capitol Building with anti-Israel groups decrying the founding of Israel as a “catastrophe.” “This event in the US Capitol is canceled,” McCarthy announced in a tweet on Tuesday (below). “Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion
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March 11, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger are two of the journalists who have participated in the Twitter Files project. They testified at the Hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on the Twitter Files conducted by the House Judiciary this week. I posted the text of Taibbi’s statement here yesterday. The New York Post has adapted Shellenberger’s statement in “‘Censorship-industrial complex’ uses gov’t power to threaten democracy.” Shellenberger testified: The
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March 9, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Today the House’s Weaponization Committee held a hearing in which Democrats attacked Twitter and the “so-called journalists” who revealed the Twitter Files: “Twitter Files” reporters Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger held firm Thursday against an onslaught of attacks from Democrats who referred to them as “so-called journalists” and demanded they give up their sources during a tense House subcommittee hearing. “The Republicans have brought in two of [Twitter CEO] Elon
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February 8, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Tomorrow the House of Representatives’ Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will hold its first hearing, chaired by Jim Jordan. The existence of this committee illustrates the vital difference between a narrow minority and a narrow majority. Under Democratic rule, “weaponization” of federal agencies was applauded, not investigated. The committee’s name refers in part to the Democrats’ deployment of the FBI and CIA as partisan agents. Donald
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January 27, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Adam Schiff calls it “troubling news” that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has thwarted his selection to serve on the House Intelligence Committee. That is about as reliable as Schiff’s statements in support of the Russia hoax and all the rest. Indeed, he doesn’t mention McCarthy’s stated reason for removing him from the committee. The Schiff version is — what else? — a lie. The competition is intense, but Schiff must
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January 25, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Actually, Kevin McCarthy kicks butt would be more like it. Yesterday Speaker McCarthy “officially booted Reps. ADAM SCHIFF and ERIC SWALWELL from the House Intelligence Committee.” McCarthy set forth his decision in a letter to Hakeem Jeffries posted on Twitter. The lady and gentlemen of Politico Playbook find the letter “short on details about the two California Democrats’ sins[.]” You can grok that the press wants to pick up its
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January 11, 2023 — Scott Johnson
AP congressional reporter Farnoush Amiri report via Twitter (below) that Speaker Kevin McCarthy will follow through on his promise to remove Reps. Eric Swalwell (Intelligence), Adam Schiff (Intelligence), and Ilhan Omar (Foreign Affairs) from their committee assignments. Of the three, I think Schiff is the worst. He should be tarred and feathered and run out of town for abuse of his position as Intelligence Committee chairman to perpetuate the Russia
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January 7, 2023 — Scott Johnson
In my facetious new year’s predictions I foresaw that Kevin McCarthy would find a way to win election as Speaker of the House in January. I added that by February he would begin to wonder why he wanted the job so badly. I’m thinking he began the wondering last week, so might have missed on that one. I did not foresee that a fight might break out over the Speaker
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January 6, 2023 — John Hinderaker
The fiasco in the House of Representatives may be drawing to a close, as 14 of the 21 Republicans who collaborated with Democrats to prevent the organization of a Republican House have now come to their senses. Only a few more need to wake up, and Republicans can start carrying out the duties for which they were elected. How much damage have the tiny minority of sellouts done? Quite a
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January 4, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Along with occasionally guest hosting national radio shows, I do a lot of guest spots on local radio. I have weekly spots on two groups of radio stations in Minnesota and North Dakota with terrific hosts Scott Hennen and Al Travis. I also frequently appear on Howie Carr’s show out of Boston (also Grace Curley’s show in Boston), Seth Leibsohn’s show in Phoenix, and the morning drive time talk show
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January 4, 2023 — John Hinderaker
A new candidate has emerged in the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. Scott Walker (the real one, I take it) has the news: In a situation as sad as the one unfolding in D.C., we may as well try to find a little humor.
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January 4, 2023 — Scott Johnson
The humiliation of Kevin McCarthy as he stands for Speaker of the House represents the humiliation of the Republican Party. It is humiliation wrought by a fringe that is greatly enjoying its attention. If you have any doubt of the humiliation, consider the ecstatic mainstream media coverage of the show. They love it. What accounts for their joy? I think I have a pretty good fix on it. If that
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January 3, 2023 — John Hinderaker
First, the bad and ugly: the House adjourned today with no speaker for the first time in a century. Nineteen Republican spoilers have prevented Kevin McCarthy from taking the gavel. Reportedly, some of the dissident Republicans have told McCarthy that they don’t mind if far-left Democrat Hakeem Jeffries becomes Speaker. I don’t want to believe that, but there are some conservatives who are only comfortable as outsiders and who shun
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December 29, 2022 — Scott Johnson
I detect Seth Lipsky’s characteristic prose and train of thought in the New York Sun editorial “Yes, Virginia–There Is a Santos Clause.” Seth’s hand in the editorial makes sense: he is the editor of the Sun. The subject of the editorial is the post-election discovery that Rep.-elect George Santos is not who he said he was. The subhead summarizes the gist of the editorial: “All the falsehoods George Santos is
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December 4, 2022 — Scott Johnson
Dave Seminara’s Spectator column (behind the Spectator paywall) looks on the upside of the downside of the midterms for Republicans. Republicans won the cumulative popular vote for congressional candidates, but what about it? “The popular vote win shouldn’t be a cause of celebration for Republicans, who should have performed even better in the critical races given President Biden’s abysmal record. But there are also causes for concern among Democrats, a
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