Democrats are playing with fire using their Congressional oversight power to try to destroy Donald Trump’s political future and draw attention away from the Biden administration’s multiple, palpable failures in anticipation of the November midterm elections. Issues that have heretofore typically been the stuff of political campaign give and take have now become an agenda for Congressional investigative proceedings.
But harnessing governmental power for political gain is a double-edged sword. Even now, Republicans are reportedly salivating at the likelihood that thy will soon take control of at least the House of Representatives and are well into planning for inquiries into problem areas for President Biden and the Democrats; they have already even taken the initial step of making document preservation requests.
Nor does the argument that Democrats are simply going about meeting their constitutionally-authorized oversight responsibilities hold water. It should now be apparent to all but the most die-hard anti-Trumpers what the Democrats are really up to.
After holding seven hearings, conducting more than 1.000 interviews and requiring the production of more than 125,000 documents, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that lawmakers on the House committee investigating the events of Jan.6, 2021 are continuing to expand their work: new witnesses will be testifying behind closed doors ahead of still more public hearings to be held in September.
So everybody already gets that the Democratic message is that on Jan. 6 Donald Trump didn’t act the way they think he should have. If not to draw things out, why the additional drumbeat to have him indicted? Why the need for further hearings?
And this is to say nothing about the fact the testimony against Trump consisted of people repeating what other people told them and at all events was not subject to cross examination. Or that the actions Trump was accused of taking consisted of urging people to peacefully protest or exercise their legal discretion voluntarily in his favor. We are not aware of any evidence that he ever called for the use of force.
Some issues expected to draw scrutiny once the Republicans are in power include the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, the immigration/border crisis, the baby formula debacle, the continuing Covid threat, the failure to tap American oil resources, pursuing long range environmental goals at the expense of immediate national defense and security needs, profligate spending/unprecedented inflation, counter intuitive outreach to the Chinese government, and indecisiveness regarding the Iran nuclear threat.
And, of course looming in the background are the apparently unusual delays in the Hunter Biden investigations and the possibility of a derivative link between President Biden and the Chinese government.
It is very sad that the Republicans will undoubtedly take their cue from the Democrats. Hopefully, after this go-round, our leaders will kick back and call a halt to this sort of thing.
