The Republican-led House of Representatives is formulating a new panel that will be responsible for investigating a series of partisan probes that seem to be fueled by vendetta rather than fact.
The subcommittee falls under the purview of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a Trump ally and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who has a reputation as an aggressive investigator. With subpoena power and access to the classified information provided to the House Intelligence Committee, the newly-formed subcommittee will be responsible for investigating various law enforcement agencies as part of a broader probe into the Biden Administration’s “weaponization of the federal government.”
The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will take a close look at “ongoing criminal investigations” including:
- The events leading to the August 2022 raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate
- Trump’s role in the Jan. 6th incident and the treatment of defendants in the Jan. 6th trial
- Allegations that Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to recalculate votes in his favor during the 2020 presidential election
- Business practices of the Trump Organization in New York
“We have a duty to get into these agencies and look at how they have been weaponized to go against the very people they’re supposed to represent, how they have infringed on First Amendment liberties of the American people,” says Jordan. “And we’re going to do that…We’re going to do it in a way that’s consistent with the Constitution. But we’re going to do it vigorously. We’re going to do it aggressively. Because that’s our job.”
The panel will also take a look at the “Twitter Files” – a collection of internal emails said to show Twitter employees censoring content at the behest of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. The files were released by Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who purchased the social media platform in October 2022. As I wrote in December, Musk fears the platform is guilty of influencing Brazil’s 2022 presidential election in favor of leftwing candidates.
Though the panel will include five Democrats, the Left was quick to criticize it as over-powered and partisan:
“Jim Jordan and Kevin McCarthy claim to be investigating the weaponization of the federal government when, in fact, this new select committee is the weapon itself,” argues Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY), a ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. “It is specifically designed to inject extremist politics into our justice system and shield the MAGA movement from the legal consequences of their actions.”
The 13-member panel should be called “The MAGA Grievance Subcommittee,” jokes Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI).
“This thing is so f***ing broad,” adds a Democratic Congressional aide, referring to the vague description of the panel’s power and responsibilities. “It’s Benghazi on steroids. It’s crazy.”
Democrats take particular issue with the inclusion of Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6th panel. They find it inappropriate that Perry, who is currently the subject of a federal investigation, be involved in efforts to oversee that same investigation.
“Well, why should I be limited? Why should anybody be limited just because someone has made an accusation? Everybody in America is innocent until proven otherwise,” Perry told ABC News. “And I would say this, the American people are really, really tired of the persecution and the instruments of federal power being used against them.”
According to the resolution authored by lawmakers, the panel has the green light to probe any and all White House efforts to “obtain information from, and provide information to the private sector, non-profit entities, or other government agencies to facilitate action against American citizens.”
Credit for the idea to create the subcommittee goes to conservative Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, lawmakers confirmed.
Sources:
House’s Weaponization Panel Would Be Empowered to Probe Trump Probers
House GOP eyes new committee to probe ‘weaponization’ of federal government
GOP’s ‘weaponization’ panel would have power to review those probing Trump