Congressional Republicans have worked for two years to block investigations of their own members' acts of support for the Jan. 6 attempted coup, but now that they'll have a slim House majority come January they're vowing to investigate the Biden administration, the Biden family, those nasty scientists who kept telling Americans to wear masks even though Republican Biffs find masks super uncomfortable, whatever anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia conspiracy theories Rudy Giuliani still has scribbled on gum wrappers, and take your pick.
But they'll have to wait until they actually have investigative powers in practice instead of just in theory. The subpoena-dodging Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. James Comer were eager to get the ball rolling with angry record requests to the Biden administration demanding documents they'll want if they succeed in getting the chair positions on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees respectively. Now the Biden White House has responded to those requests by telling both seditionists to (temporarily!) pound sand.
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"Congress has not delegated such [oversight] authority to individual members of Congress who are not committee chairmen, and the House has not done so under its current Rules," a White House oversight lawyer wrote to Jordan and Comer in letters obtained by Politico.
Jordan and Comer may be planning to become committee chairmen in the near future, but the House doesn't delegate oversight powers to "aspirational" committee chairs. This isn't a school yearbook, what you plan to be when you grow up doesn't have legally binding powers.
Anywho, all of this is just an idle moment of screw you from the Biden White House during this liminal tween-holiday week, Politico reports neither letter rules out cooperating with those records requests once, you know, the subpoena-ignoring coat-losing seditionist and his peer actually have the authority they currently don't.
It also predictably put at least one of the two in a foul mood, with the Jim Jordan-controlled House Judiciary GOP account having a minor bovine moment towards Politico for daring to report on the letters before asking Jim Jordan to comment on them.
Yeah, okay, fine, and asking Jim Jordan for his thoughts was necessary why? Is there some actual dispute here over whether Jordan currently has House authority that he pretty plainly doesn't? Is there some universe in which asking Jordan his thoughts on the matter will not result in Jordan impotently bellowing outrage and conspiracy theories at whichever poor sap was tasked with interacting with him?
Here, here's how the Jim Jordan response would have gone, if Politico had asked:
POLITICO: Do you have comment on the Wh—
JORDAN: [ANGRY JACKETLESS SCREECHING NOISES]
Nobody needs that crap. We already get that crap every time House Republicans throw Jordan at a camera, which they do at every opportunity. How about we ask for the opinions of people who aren't covering for an attempted violent overthrow of our nation's government after covering for international extortion, petty grifting, and sex crimes.
We're all going to be hearing plenty from Jordan come January, when House Republicans pass a new rule ordering C-SPAN cameras to stop covering the House floor and instead follow Jordan around to document every sweaty tantrum, reality television style. Politico and the White House are both doing the nation a holiday season favor by forcibly muzzling him for a few more days.
RELATED STORIES:
McCarthy’s political life continues to be hell. Just what he deserves
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At least 34 members of Congress texted Mark Meadows to declare willingness to participate in coup
Ethics gone awry: Jan. 6 probe calls for ethics probe of GOP leader McCarthy, 3 fellow GOP lawmakers
What better way to wrap up the year than by previewing the biggest contests of 2023 on this week's episode of The Downballot? Progressives will want to focus on a Jan. 10 special election for the Virginia state Senate that would allow them to expand their skinny majority; the April 4 battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court that could let progressives take control from conservatives; Chicago's mayoral race; gubernatorial contests in Kentucky and Louisiana; and much, much more. Of course, we might've thought we were done with 2022 after Georgia, but Kyrsten Sinema decided to make herself the center of attention again.
However, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain why there's much less than meets the eye to her decision to become an independent: She can't take away the Democratic majority in the Senate, and her chances at winning re-election are really poor. In fact, there's good reason to believe she'd hurt Republicans more in a three-way race. The Davids also discuss the upcoming special election for Virginia's dark blue 4th Congressional District, where the key battle for the Democratic nomination will take place in less than a week.
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But they'll have to wait until they actually have investigative powers in practice instead of just in theory. The subpoena-dodging Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. James Comer were eager to get the ball rolling with angry record requests to the Biden administration demanding documents they'll want if they succeed in getting the chair positions on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees respectively. Now the Biden White House has responded to those requests by telling both seditionists to (temporarily!) pound sand.
Campaign Action
"Congress has not delegated such [oversight] authority to individual members of Congress who are not committee chairmen, and the House has not done so under its current Rules," a White House oversight lawyer wrote to Jordan and Comer in letters obtained by Politico.
Jordan and Comer may be planning to become committee chairmen in the near future, but the House doesn't delegate oversight powers to "aspirational" committee chairs. This isn't a school yearbook, what you plan to be when you grow up doesn't have legally binding powers.
Anywho, all of this is just an idle moment of screw you from the Biden White House during this liminal tween-holiday week, Politico reports neither letter rules out cooperating with those records requests once, you know, the subpoena-ignoring coat-losing seditionist and his peer actually have the authority they currently don't.
It also predictably put at least one of the two in a foul mood, with the Jim Jordan-controlled House Judiciary GOP account having a minor bovine moment towards Politico for daring to report on the letters before asking Jim Jordan to comment on them.
Yeah, okay, fine, and asking Jim Jordan for his thoughts was necessary why? Is there some actual dispute here over whether Jordan currently has House authority that he pretty plainly doesn't? Is there some universe in which asking Jordan his thoughts on the matter will not result in Jordan impotently bellowing outrage and conspiracy theories at whichever poor sap was tasked with interacting with him?
Here, here's how the Jim Jordan response would have gone, if Politico had asked:
POLITICO: Do you have comment on the Wh—
JORDAN: [ANGRY JACKETLESS SCREECHING NOISES]
Nobody needs that crap. We already get that crap every time House Republicans throw Jordan at a camera, which they do at every opportunity. How about we ask for the opinions of people who aren't covering for an attempted violent overthrow of our nation's government after covering for international extortion, petty grifting, and sex crimes.
We're all going to be hearing plenty from Jordan come January, when House Republicans pass a new rule ordering C-SPAN cameras to stop covering the House floor and instead follow Jordan around to document every sweaty tantrum, reality television style. Politico and the White House are both doing the nation a holiday season favor by forcibly muzzling him for a few more days.
RELATED STORIES:
McCarthy’s political life continues to be hell. Just what he deserves
GOP holds first press conference and says it only wants to talk about Hunter Biden's laptop
At least 34 members of Congress texted Mark Meadows to declare willingness to participate in coup
Ethics gone awry: Jan. 6 probe calls for ethics probe of GOP leader McCarthy, 3 fellow GOP lawmakers
What better way to wrap up the year than by previewing the biggest contests of 2023 on this week's episode of The Downballot? Progressives will want to focus on a Jan. 10 special election for the Virginia state Senate that would allow them to expand their skinny majority; the April 4 battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court that could let progressives take control from conservatives; Chicago's mayoral race; gubernatorial contests in Kentucky and Louisiana; and much, much more. Of course, we might've thought we were done with 2022 after Georgia, but Kyrsten Sinema decided to make herself the center of attention again.
However, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain why there's much less than meets the eye to her decision to become an independent: She can't take away the Democratic majority in the Senate, and her chances at winning re-election are really poor. In fact, there's good reason to believe she'd hurt Republicans more in a three-way race. The Davids also discuss the upcoming special election for Virginia's dark blue 4th Congressional District, where the key battle for the Democratic nomination will take place in less than a week.
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