29 May 2022 8:38 am
Pelousi's goddamn Jan 6 committee is unlawful, unConstitutional and illegal!!!
Leader McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan Address Subpoena from Jan. 6 Select Committee in Blistering Op-Ed
Rebecca Downs|Posted: May 27, 2022 5:45 PM
Earlier this month, five Republican congressmen were subpoenaed by the January 6 select committee, a stunning and significant move to be sure, considering the power hungry committee members had not yet subpoenaed their own members until that point. On Thursday, two of those members, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, charging that "The Jan. 6 Committee Is Weaponizing Majority Rule."
In addition to McCarthy and Jordan, Republican Reps. Scott Perry (PA), Andy Biggs (AZ), and Mo Brooks (AL) were also subpoenaed.
While McCarthy, Jordan, and others have long questioned the legitimacy of the select committee, there are a few specific concerns worth highlighting.
As the op-ed expressed concerns over, at issue is not just legitimacy but constitutional rights, not helped by the shadowy manner in which the select committee is conducting its affairs:
With no effective check on its power, the Select Committee is trampling on fundamental Constitutional rights. It is investigating the political speech of private citizens and demanding access to their personal records and private communications. When disputes over the requests arise, the committee refuses to engage and seeks to punish. There is no presumption of innocence; instead Chairman Bennie Thompson declared citizens who invoke the Fifth Amendment are “part and parcel guilty to what occurred.”
Rather than operating openly, the Select Committee is working behind closed doors and selectively leaking cherry-picked information. When it has presented some evidence in public, the committee’s been caught deliberately altering documents—including a text message pertaining to one of us—to malign conservatives.
One would expect this sort of inquiry from a banana republic, not from the U.S. House of Representatives. By subpoenaing us and three other Republican members, the Select Committee is escalating its abusive tactics. This attempt to coerce information from members of Congress about their official duties is a dangerous abuse of power, serves no legitimate legislative purpose, and eviscerates constitutional norms. Just because members of Congress are responsible for writing the laws doesn’t give a select few license to subvert them.
The op-ed is full of strong words to be sure, but such remarks actually have teeth to them as well. And there have been concerns before with the select committee, especially when it comes to committee members doctoring text messages.
When news broke on May 12 that the subpoenas were being issued, McCarthy and Jordan were at a loss for words initially on responding, as they told members of the inquiring press that they had not actually seen the subpoenas they were being questioned about.
Here's what the op-ed has to add to that:
In January, we sent the Select Committee letters in response to its request for interviews, raising good-faith concerns and seeking to protect the prerogatives of the House. Our letters went unanswered and unacknowledged for four months. The Select Committee now rushes to issue these unprecedented subpoenas in May, just in time for its pre-scheduled prime-time hearings next month.
Leader McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan Address Subpoena from Jan. 6 Select Committee in Blistering Op-Ed
Rebecca Downs|Posted: May 27, 2022 5:45 PM
Earlier this month, five Republican congressmen were subpoenaed by the January 6 select committee, a stunning and significant move to be sure, considering the power hungry committee members had not yet subpoenaed their own members until that point. On Thursday, two of those members, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, charging that "The Jan. 6 Committee Is Weaponizing Majority Rule."
In addition to McCarthy and Jordan, Republican Reps. Scott Perry (PA), Andy Biggs (AZ), and Mo Brooks (AL) were also subpoenaed.
While McCarthy, Jordan, and others have long questioned the legitimacy of the select committee, there are a few specific concerns worth highlighting.
As the op-ed expressed concerns over, at issue is not just legitimacy but constitutional rights, not helped by the shadowy manner in which the select committee is conducting its affairs:
With no effective check on its power, the Select Committee is trampling on fundamental Constitutional rights. It is investigating the political speech of private citizens and demanding access to their personal records and private communications. When disputes over the requests arise, the committee refuses to engage and seeks to punish. There is no presumption of innocence; instead Chairman Bennie Thompson declared citizens who invoke the Fifth Amendment are “part and parcel guilty to what occurred.”
Rather than operating openly, the Select Committee is working behind closed doors and selectively leaking cherry-picked information. When it has presented some evidence in public, the committee’s been caught deliberately altering documents—including a text message pertaining to one of us—to malign conservatives.
One would expect this sort of inquiry from a banana republic, not from the U.S. House of Representatives. By subpoenaing us and three other Republican members, the Select Committee is escalating its abusive tactics. This attempt to coerce information from members of Congress about their official duties is a dangerous abuse of power, serves no legitimate legislative purpose, and eviscerates constitutional norms. Just because members of Congress are responsible for writing the laws doesn’t give a select few license to subvert them.
The op-ed is full of strong words to be sure, but such remarks actually have teeth to them as well. And there have been concerns before with the select committee, especially when it comes to committee members doctoring text messages.
When news broke on May 12 that the subpoenas were being issued, McCarthy and Jordan were at a loss for words initially on responding, as they told members of the inquiring press that they had not actually seen the subpoenas they were being questioned about.
Here's what the op-ed has to add to that:
In January, we sent the Select Committee letters in response to its request for interviews, raising good-faith concerns and seeking to protect the prerogatives of the House. Our letters went unanswered and unacknowledged for four months. The Select Committee now rushes to issue these unprecedented subpoenas in May, just in time for its pre-scheduled prime-time hearings next month.