The White House is firing back on a recent slate of subpoenas issued by House Republicans targeting members of President Joe Biden’s family and his inner circle of aides, describing the GOP’s impeachment push as an illegitimate endeavor that has repeatedly failed to produce proof of wrongdoing.
The four-page letter from a top White House attorney to Republican committee leaders portrays an overzealous House GOP majority that, according to the letter, has “misrepresented the facts, ignored the overwhelming evidence disproving your claims, and repeatedly shifted the rationale for your ‘inquiry.’”
The White House argued that House Republicans were “improperly weaponizing the oversight powers of Congress” for political gain, and have “consistently misrepresented the documents and testimony you have received and then moved the goalposts when your claims have been debunked.”
“This pattern of distortions and falsehoods lays bare that no amount of truthful testimony or document productions will satisfy you and exposes the improper nature of your Committee’s efforts,” Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, wrote in the letter, sent Friday to Comer and Jordan. “Congressional harassment of the President to score political points is precisely the type of conduct that the Constitution and its separation of powers was meant to prevent.”
In a long-anticipated move, Comer this month issued subpoenas to Biden’s son Hunter and brother James, insisting that the committee has found indications of “influence peddling” by members of the president’s family in their business dealings. But after nearly a year, House Republicans have yet to provide evidence that directly implicates Joe Biden in any wrongdoing.
Comer responded Friday that if the president had nothing to hide, then he should make his aides available to the committee for interviews on the classified documents probe.
“President Biden and this White House are seeking to obstruct our investigation at every turn,” Comer said. "We are not deterred by this obstruction and will continue to follow the facts and hold President Biden accountable to the American people.”
Hunter Biden’s representatives, while dismissing the subpoenas as a “political stunt,” have said he would be willing to speak to the Oversight committee “in a public forum and at the right time.” An attorney for James Biden said a subpoena was unnecessary because the committee has already reviewed private bank records and transactions between the two brothers. The records concerned two loans that took place when Biden was not in office or a candidate for president.
Sauber noted that all those targeted for subpoenas and voluntary interviews last week are private citizens, including Hallie Biden, the widow of the president’s son Beau, and Sara Biden, the president’s sister-in-law.
Earlier this week, Comer also subpoenaed former White House counsel Dana Remus and other White House aides to speak with the committee on whether Biden had mishandled classified information — an issue currently under investigation by special counsel Robert Hur.
“These requests appear to be motivated by a desire to boost your subpoena numbers, as Chairman Jordan tweeted just this week, rather than any legitimate investigative interest,” Sauber wrote. On the social media platform X, Jordan emphasized that more than 20 people had received subpoenas and interview requests on their impeachment efforts, and that there would be “more to come.”
In his letter, Sauber also stressed that the House has not authorized a formal impeachment inquiry by a vote of the full House and that new Speaker Mike Johnson — when former President Donald Trump was facing the prospect of impeachment by a Democratic-led House — said any inquiry without a House vote was a “sham.”
"New Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is in a pickle. He's only been in the job three weeks and he's already getting heat from members of his own party over the bipartisan deal he made to keep our government running. The hardcore conservatives are dead-set against the Democrats' “liberal agenda” of making sure the country has a functioning government, because if the government keeps running through the end of the year it means Republicans have less time to focus on the issues that really matter to their constituents. Like proving that Santa Claus is white."
—Jimmy Kimmel
"So there isn’t gonna be a government shutdown. Congratulations, Congress—you did the absolute bare f*cking minimum."
—The Daily Show guest host Leslie Jones
Continued…
You are now below the fold. Please: wipe your feet on our code of ethics.
"President Biden is in San Francisco today meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Before the meeting both sides tried to play it cool and set expectations low. In fact, both countries said that whatever happened both Biden and Xi will not put out a joint statement after the meeting. So it's just gonna be a case of He said, Xi said."
—Stephen Colbert
"The White House yesterday released the fifth national Climate Assessment. And if you're wondering how things are going, they said don’t expect a sixth."
"On Monday Donald Trump testified under oath at his civil fraud trial. Though technically he was never sworn in because the bibles kept bursting into flames."
—Michael Che, SNL
"Are you kidding me, [Clarence Thomas]? You're gonna pretend you didn’t know the stuff you did was wrong until now? Having good judgment is the entire point of being a judge! This is so embarrassing—the Supreme Court went without needing an ethics code until these corrupt bastards came along. Here's what really pisses me off, though: the ethics code isn’t even enforceable, so it's not gonna work. If you want to hold people accountable, you gotta be able to fire them."
—Leslie Jones
"Republican senator Tim Scott dropped out of the race for president. Everybody responded by saying, 'That's too bad' and 'who is that, again?' The announcement has really shaken up the race for fifth place."
—Jimmy Fallon
And now, our feature presentation…
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Cheers and Jeers for Friday, November 17, 2023
Note: A reminder that Sunday isHave A Bad Day Day. If you violate the spirit of the occasion by having a good day, that would be very bad, which would actually make your good day a bad day. Good for you! (In a bad way. Which is good! But that’s bad. Good! Good bad!)
JEERS to the arrival of a blessed cease fire. Finally. It's over. The fighting is over. For now, anyway. The warring factions have agreed to split up so they can lick their wounds and presumably regroup. In their wake they leave carnage and chaos that have left millions of ordinary citizens wondering if peace will ever return. Possibly not, since their leader sees a future of mass arrests, violence, and sprawling detention camps that will quickly devolve into squalor. But enough about House Republicans in charge of the least-productive Congress since the Great Depression going on vacation for the rest of the month. Anyone know what's happening between Israel and Hamas?
CHEERS to pest control. We'll file this under "Most Foregone Conclusion in the History of Foregone Conclusions." The House Ethics Committee's investigation report is in. And, having read it, lyingest-congressman-ever (and that's saying something) George Santos is out:
“I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”
Let us never speak of him again.
The 56-page report, written by an investigative subcommittee, breaks down the 23 federal felony charges against Santos, including conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, falsification of records, aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud. The committee said its investigation "revealed a complex web of unlawful activity involving Representative Santos' campaign, personal, and business finances."
Okay, okay, I take it back. A Republican-led committee actually did one productive thing this session. Pop the champagne corks.
JEERS to the hunchback of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Speaking of Republican shits, 50 years ago today, in 1973, floundering President Richard Nixon uttered his immortal words: "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."
And to prove he wasn't a crook, Gerald Ford shielded him with a "full and unconditional pardon" after Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment for crooky things like high crimes and misdemeanors. Trust me: the less you think about it, the more it makes sense.
CHEERS to that people-powered dude. Since I know you appreciate being made to feel old, here's a fun fact: when Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign—the catalyst for bringing so many of us here to Daily Kos—was shifting into high gear, he was but a lad of 56. Today he finds 75 candles on his birthday cake.
Happy Birthday, big guy.
The former Vermont governor (first in the nation to sign same-sex civil unions into law—a quaint milestone, but groundbreaking at the time) became the loudest 2004 candidate to rail against the warmongering Bush II regime at a time when too many Democratic leaders were still searching for their spines. (His 2003 speech in Sacramento remains one of the most influential barn burners in modern political history.)
Of course, we all know Governor Dean met his Waterloo after he uttered "Yeah" in Iowa at a higher volume than is allowed in polite political society. He then went on to become the chairman of the DNC, unleashing a radical strategy that would give the Democratic party a robust presence in all 50 states, and remains forever a card-carrying Kossack. So when you're pouring out a drinky tonight (may we recommend a cocktail made with pure Vermont maple syrup?), hoist it and send a happy birthday toast to ol’ Doc Dean. And you should also get together and bake him a cake. After all, YOU have the flour and YOU have the flour and YOU have the flour...!!!
CHEERS to home vegetation. Ahhh...the airwaves are blessedly free of obnoxious political ads, clearing the way for a weekend of blissful boob-tubage during which we’ll only have to contend with obnoxious drug ads and obnoxious MyPillow ads. As always, MSNBC is the place to go for details of any Friday night news dumps. Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger—one of the few GOP good guys in the wake of the 2020 elections—talks with Margaret Hoover on PBS’s Firing Line at 8:30. Or you can catch a new episode of Penn & Teller: Fool Us! at 8 on the CW.
Whoever thought it’d be a good idea to put the TV in front of a wall of mirrors should be fired. (And WTF are they watching???)
Sunday on 60 Minutes: an update on the fire-ravaged Hawaiian town of Lahaina and a profile of guitarist and musical director for Springsteen and the E Street Band Steven Van Zandt. Homer causes a pre-Thanksgiving Springfield blackout on The Simpsons, and Stewie tries to civilize his half-brother “Boston Stewie” on Family Guy. Awards season starts ramping up with the Billboard Music Awards Sunday. (As usual, all my money's on a clean sweep by The Singing Dogs.) And then enjoy your fill of John Oliver Sunday night at 11 during another edition of HBO’s Last Week Tonight.
Now here's your Sunday morning lineup:
This Week: Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer; Retired Admiral and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen; Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog; UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma; San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D).
Also Sunday: the ghost of Wendell Willkie returns to make it VERY CLEAR that any resemblance to Ron DeSantis is purely coincidental.
Meet the Press: Senator Dick Blumenthal (D-CT); Chris Christie; Steve Kornacki unveils new polling numbers.
Face the Nation: Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Reps. Raja Krishnamo (D-IL), Mike Turner (MAGA Cult-OH) and Mike Gallagher (MAGA Cult-WI).
CNN's State of the Union: Gov. Ron DeSantis (MAGA Cult-FL).
Fox GOP Talking Points Sunday: Doughy pantload Mike Pompeo; Senator Chris Coons (D-DE).
Happy viewing!
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Ten years ago in C&J: November 17, 2013
JEERS to the "Apocalypter." Former President Bush—the spawn Bush, not the host Bush—gave his speech to the "Recruit Jews to Christianity So We Can Get Our Rapture On" crowd yesterday. The Messianic Jewish Bible Institute believes that the pure and good people will all go to heaven and the no-good sinners will remain to be picked over by Beelzebub. As usual, when the event ended the only thing that had disappeared was a bunch of the crowd's money. Oh well…maybe next year?
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And just one more…
CHEERS to cleansing your cosmic soul. Cast your eyes heavenward this weekend and you might see some wowee-zowee fireworks in the sky. The Leonid Brezhnev meteor shower—which happens every time Earth plays footsies with Comet Tempel-Tuttle and its debris field—is entering its most Leonidinicious period tonight and tomorrow night:
The Leonids are a modest shower producing up to approximately 15 meteors per hour. ... The moon will be 23% illuminated on the date of Leonid's peak so should not interfere with viewing opportunities too much.
Thunder is God bowling. Meteor showers are God playing Atari’s ‘Missile Command.’
The Leonids are considered some of the fastest meteors, zipping through the sky at 44 miles per second, according to NASA. They can also result in impressive fireballs producing long, bright and colorful meteor streaks.
You don't need any telescopes or binoculars as the secret to a good meteor viewing experience is to take in as much sky as possible. Make sure to allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.
As I like to say, everyone loves meteor showers because they’re beautiful, unite Americans in a common activity, and make lots of people happy and curious about the universe and the wonders of science. Which explains why House Republicans plan to introduce a constitutional amendment banning all future meteor showers.
Have a great weekend. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
Top White House attorney Richard Sauber sent a letter to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee chairs rejecting requests for interviews with White House staff members.
President Biden invoked a Cold War-era law in a surprising move Friday to pour taxpayer funds into domestic manufacturing of electric heat pumps, an alternative to gas-powered residential furnaces.
In a joint announcement with the White House, the Department of Energy (DOE) said the federal government would award a "historic" $169 million for nine projects across 15 sites nationwide in an effort to accelerate electric heat pump manufacturing. The significant level of funding was made possible after Biden utilized the 1950 Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase domestic production of green energy technologies.
"Getting more American-made electric heat pumps on the market will help families and businesses save money with efficient heating and cooling technology," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. "These investments will create thousands of high-quality, good-paying manufacturing jobs and strengthen America’s energy supply chain, while creating healthier indoor spaces through home-grown clean energy technologies."
"Today’s Defense Production Act funds for heat pump manufacturing show that President Biden is treating climate change as the crisis it is," added John Podesta, the White House clean energy czar. "These awards will grow domestic manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and boost American competitiveness in industries of the future."
And Ali Zaidi, who serves as Biden's national climate advisor, said the president was "using his wartime emergency powers under the Defense Production Act to turbocharge U.S. manufacturing of clean technologies and strengthen our energy security."
Under the actions announced Friday, the DOE will send millions of dollars to companies like Copeland, Honeywell International, Mitsubishi Electric and York International Corporation, all of which are billion-dollar multinational corporations. The projects will advance manufacturing of industrial, commercial and residential heat pump technology.
"This is absolutely shameful corporate welfare. But we're to believe that, because it's for the sake of climate change, all is well. I think that's ridiculous," Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"Of all the Biden administration's claimed climate emergency declarations, this may be the craziest of them all," Lieberman continued. "There is no shortage of heat pumps — it's just that not every homeowner wants them. Consumers ought to decide for themselves. The government has no role in tilting the balance in favor of one energy source over another. That's clearly what's happening here."
The action Friday comes less than two months after the DOE issued new regulations targeting traditional home gas-powered furnaces as part of its climate agenda and broad effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
DOE's finalized regulations, which are slated to go into effect in 2028, specifically require furnaces to achieve an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 95%, meaning manufacturers would only be allowed to sell furnaces that convert at least 95% of fuel into heat within six years. The current market standard AFUE for a residential furnace is 80%.
Because of the stringent AFUE requirements, the regulations would largely take non-condensing gas furnaces — which are generally less efficient, but cheaper — off the market. But consumers who replace their non-condensing furnace with a condensing furnace after the rule is implemented face hefty installation costs.
"Energy security is a top priority for AGA," American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert told Fox News Digital on Friday. "We are deeply disappointed to see the Defense Production Act, which is intended as a vital tool for advancing national security against serious outside threats, being used as an instrument to advance a policy agenda contradictory to our nation’s strong energy position."
"Increased use of natural gas has been responsible for sixty percent of the electrical grid’s CO2 emissions reductions," she continued. "This vital tool for emissions reductions and energy system resilience should not be unfairly undermined through misuse of the Defense Production Act."
According to the Congressional Research Service, the DPA, which was passed during the Cold War, gives the president a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry "in the interest of national defense." Invoking the law opens the door for the president access to hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding for a given national security-related purpose.
Biden previously invoked the DPA to accelerate domestic critical mineral production and to pause tariffs on Chinese solar panel imports, claiming that climate change is a national emergency.
In addition to consumer furnaces, over the last several months, the DOE has unveiled new standards for a wide variety of other appliances including gas stoves, clothes washers, refrigerators and air conditioners. According to the DOE, its past and planned appliance regulations will save Americans $570 billion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.4 billion metric tons over the next 30 years.
Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell says the violent pro-Palestinian demonstration at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Wednesday scared her more than the January 6 riots at the Capitol …Read more
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dingell described attempting to leave the DNC headquarters, only to find doors blocked. She tried to leave through the front door where demonstrators stood in a line despite police telling them to cease blocking the door. Police warned that she would be hurt if she left, and she described how much it rattled her to see the violence up close.
"In the Capitol, we were in a big place, they were working to keep us safe," Dingell said, recalling the storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump in January 2021. "I never knew how bad it was until after we had finished our final voting about what had been happening."
The DNC headquarters, on the other hand, put her closer to the clash between police and protesters. "When you're in that contained space and all you see are bodies fighting each other, it's scary," Dingell said.
‘UNDER SIEGE’: Republicans blast pro-Palestinian protests at DNC...Read more
TAPES RELEASED: Speaker Johnson has begun releasing thousands of hours of footage from the January 6 Capitol riots …Read more
WORLDS APART: Senate and House headed for showdown over defense bill ...Read more
RED LIGHT: House breaks for Thanksgiving with Johnson notching wins and losses ...Read more
ONWARD AND UPWARD: Biden signs temporary spending bill, pushes budget fight with GOP into 2024 ...Read more
ON THE CLOCK: Biden campaign reportedly weighs joining Chinese-owned TikTok to reach younger voters ...Read more
'HATRED': Feds launch investigation into Ivy League colleges for antisemitism ...Read more
'IMMEDIATE ACTION': Biden admin reveals its authority when handling visas of Hamas supporters...Read more
'CHINA FIRST': Experts blast Biden's deal with China to shut down oil and gas ...Read more
FOX NEWS POLL: Americans rate the parties on issues for 2024 ...Read more
TRUMP FOE EYES 2024: Key Trump impeachment figure running for Congress as a Democrat ...Read more
PUSHING OUT DEADLINE: Trump team moves for mistrial in NY case ...Read more
LABOR PAINS: Biden using Trump's own words against him in bid to win back major voting block...Read more
IOWA: Will an influential leader's support in Iowa upend Trump's massive lead in the lead-off nominating state?...Read more
NEW JERSEY SNUB: New Jersey Democrat fundraising organization endorses Menendez's opponent ...Read more
SUNSHINE STATE STANDOFF: Supreme Court denies DeSantis in legal battle over drag queen ban ...Read more
BORDER BOOM: Thousands of Chinese nationals, gotaways since Oct 1 ...Read more
DOMINANT: Trump remains untouchable in early polls but one candidate is rising ...Read more
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
The Biden administration is rebuffing House Republicans’ request to speak with current and former White House officials as part of their impeachment inquiry — and using a Trump-era justification for doing so.
White House counsel Richard Sauber on Friday sent a four-page letter — a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO — to Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), accusing them of issuing an “irresponsible set of subpoenas and requests for interviews” and flip-flopping on whether or not an impeachment inquiry needed a formal vote.
“You also claim the mantle of an ‘impeachment inquiry’ knowing full well that the Constitution requires that the full House authorize an impeachment inquiry before a committee may utilize compulsory process pursuant to the impeachment power — a step the Republican House Majority has so far refused to take,” Sauber wrote in the letter.
Sauber was referring to a Justice Department opinion under former President Donald Trump that declared that impeachment inquiries in the House are invalid unless the chamber formally votes to authorize them.
“For all these reasons, you should reconsider your current course of action and withdraw these subpoenas and demands for interviews,” Sauber added.
At the time, the Trump Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel was pushing back on then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) decision to launch an impeachment inquiry against Trump without initially holding a vote for it. Republicans were also deeply critical of Pelosi’s strategy at the time.
While Pelosi did eventually hold a vote weeks later on the inquiry, the opinion gained new attention earlier this year after then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) similarly opened an impeachment inquiry without a vote on the House floor.
"If President Biden has nothing to hide, then he should make his current and former staff available to testify before Congress about his mishandling of classified documents," Comer said in a statement responding to the White House Friday. "We are not deterred by this obstruction and will continue to follow the facts and hold President Biden accountable to the American people.”
Meanwhile, House Republicans have ramped up their subpoenas as part of their multi-pronged investigation into Biden and his family.
Comer subpoenaed former White House counsel Dana Remus and requested interviews with four White House officials earlier this week. Republicans are seeking the testimony as part of a probe into Biden’s handling of classified documents, which is also being investigated by a special counsel.
But in a letter to Remus’ attorney, Comer and Jordan tied that probe to their larger impeachment inquiry, which has been largely focused on the business deals of Biden’s family members. Comer has also subpoenaed Hunter Biden and the president’s brother James Biden, as well as requested voluntary interviews with other family members.
Republicans are months into that probe. And while they have uncovered examples of Hunter Biden trying to use his last name to further his business deals — and poked holes in some of Biden’s and the White House’s previous statements — they’ve struggled to find a smoking gun that would link Joe Biden’s official decisions to his family’s business deals.
The White House is firing back on a recent slate of subpoenas issued by House Republicans targeting members of President Joe Biden's family and his inner circle of aides, describing the GOP's impeachment push as an illegitimate endeavor that has repeatedly failed to produce proof of wrongdoing.
Retired Army Col. Eugene Vindman, a key figure in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, is running for an open seat in the House of Representatives.
Vindman had been a senior ethics lawyer on the National Security Council (NSC) in July 2019 when his brother, fellow NSC official and retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, reported Trump’s now-infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Eugene Vindman alluded to his role in the controversy in a Thursday campaign announcement: "Soldiers are trained to run towards fire, no matter the personal cost. That’s why I’m running for Congress – to defend our nation against the clear and present danger of Donald Trump and the 147 Members of Congress who voted to overthrow the will of the American people."
"I want America to remain the land of opportunity, a refuge for families like mine, where hard work makes a difference, truth prevails, rights are protected, and we are all free to be who we are and pursue our dreams," he said in the statement.
Eugene Vindman is running for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which is being vacated by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., as she prepares to run for governor.
"Abigail Spanberger served our district with integrity and passion, and I hope to follow her example," he said. "Families are struggling to pay for gas, groceries and housing, while Republicans in Congress fight among themselves. They have no interest in governing. America’s enemies relish in their dysfunction and the divisions they sow."
He’s the first Democrat to jump into the race, which is expected to be among the most closely watched House elections of the 2024 cycle. The district went to President Biden in 2020, but before that, Spanberger clinched it by unseating a Republican incumbent.
Eugene Vindman launched his bid just as the former president is seeking to reclaim the White House for a second term.
He said that he and his twin brother were key to kicking off Trump’s impeachment over accusations of trying to get a foreign power to influence the 2020 election and obstructing Congress’ subsequent probe into the matter.
Alexander Vindman had testified during a 2019 congressional hearing about Trump’s phone call with Zelenskyy, in which Trump pressed Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine.
Both brothers were dismissed from the NSC shortly after Trump was acquitted.
A May 2022 report by the Pentagon’s inspector general found that Eugene Vindman likely faced retaliation from his superiors after raising alarms about Trump with his brother.
This week should have proved once and for all to Republicans everywhere that the MAGA minority in Congress is ungovernable and, worse, opposed to having a government at all. New House Speaker Mike Johnson faces the same reality that every recent GOP speaker has faced, but it looks like it might get worse than what even former Speaker Kevin McCarthy dealt with.
Once again, the only way Johnson could get a continuing resolution to keep the government running was with Democratic votes—the same way McCarthy did it (though with a hint more grace and far less drama). And once again, the minority of Republican maniacs who run the show hit back. In McCarthy’s case, the rebellion led to his ouster. But so far, they aren’t threatening that for Johnson. However, they did grind the House to a legislative halt, again, preventing it from passing appropriations bills that they should have loved, larded down as the bills were with the MAGA maniacs’ own poison-pill provisions.
You can lay this situation at McCarthy’s feet. He gave the place away to the maniacs in exchange for holding the gavel for nine months. That included putting three of the most extreme members in the GOP conference—Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—on the powerful House Rules Committee. They’re the ones responsible for making sure every extreme amendment from the likes of Andy Biggs, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert gets a vote on the floor.
Those amendments are why the “moderates” in the GOP joined the hard-liners in shutting down the latest appropriations bill, voting against a procedural rule to advance it.
Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican from New York, voted against it in protest of having to keep taking disastrous votes on far-right amendments that are doomed to fail. “The amendments are going to fail, the bill is going to fail, it won’t get sent to the Senate, it won’t be signed by the president,” LaLota said.
By the way, that trick of blocking a motion to proceed to a bill hadn’t been used by majority members in the House since 2002, and back then, it was used just once. It’s been deployed several times by Republicans just since June. This is how broken the House is since “regular” Republicans folded and let the small group of extremists run the show.
Speaking of broken, ladies and gentlemen, meet the Senate where a growing MAGA contingent promises to bring some of the House chaos to the upper chamber. From Oklahoma’s brawling Markwayne Mullin to Alabama’s one-man national security threat, Tommy Tuberville, we’re moving far beyond the traditional GOP obstruction with filibusters and into unprecedented territory.
Democrats salvaged something from all this wreckage this week: the continuing resolution that will keep the government operating for the rest of the year. No question, that’s a great thing to have accomplished. But because Democrats did it, the MAGA rampage will get even worse, and it’ll start as soon as Congress returns from its Thanksgiving break.
In other words, getting those appropriations bills done in a few months comes down to Johnson realizing that if he wants to succeed in this job, he’ll have to break the hold the minority nihilists have on the House. That means working with Democrats on everything from determining spending in bills to restructuring the Rules Committee to end the maniacs’ control of it. If the House ceases to function—which we are perilously close to—the legislative branch doesn’t work. The Senate can’t legislate by itself. While we’re talking reform, Senate Republicans have to bow to reality and vote with Democrats to stop Tuberville from kneecapping the nation’s military.
Even when Republicans must know it’s against their best interest to spiral down the MAGA toilet, that’s what they’re going to do. That is, unless Johnson has any ambition to remain speaker after 2024. The easiest way for Congress to remain in Republican hands past 2024 is by showing they can govern, which they cannot do unless they get Democrats to hold their hands and show them how.
That’s exactly what Democrats should not do, though, unless they get something significant in return, like an end to bogus impeachment efforts and a say in what legislation comes to the floor. This past week might have been enough for Johnson to grasp the futility of letting the maniacs continue to rule, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Republicans are challenging labor leaders to fights and allegedly physically assaulting one another. Donald Trump says he will abolish reproductive rights entirely and is openly calling for the extermination of his detractors, referring to them as “vermin” on Veterans Day. The Republican Party has emerged from its corruption cocoon as a full-blown fascist movement.
