According to those on the far-right in Congress, the opposition to the Jan. 6 Commission isn't a smart idea. According to Punchbowl News, Republicans are expressing their disapproval of right-wing members for a commission that would investigate how the attack happened and how to prevent future attacks. It'll be modeled off the 9/11 Commission and finish with a set of recommendations and findings.
"Sure, there are some Republicans who can toe the line and say that they will oppose it because it doesn't allow for an investigation into all political violence. But many in the party are finding that excuse incredibly lame," Punchbowl reported.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) came out against the commission that he actually helped write the rules for. It was a weird moment for Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who said that he couldn't figure out why McCarthy would come out against his own rules.
Republican leadership is concerned that dozens of rank-and-file members of their caucus intend to support the commission along with Rep. John Katko (R-NY).
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) has told reporters that she thinks McCarthy is either protecting himself, other members or both after participating in the event or the days that led up to the Capitol attack. She's even gone so far as to suggest that McCarthy will never become the Speaker of the House. It leads many to wonder if there's something Cheney knows about McCarthy's participation in the attack.
According to Punchbowl, there are several Republicans "who say the leadership isn't giving them any good reason to vote against this bill."
To make matters worse, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that Republicans are "willing to listen to Democrats" for what the commission would do and why it's needed. Whether or not McConnell ever agrees to anything, he's making McCarthy look unreasonable right now.
"So, I'm not saying that we have decided this should not go forward," McConnell said. "But if it's going to go forward. It needs to be clearly balanced and not tilted one way or the other, so we have an objective evaluation. So I think it's safe for you to report that we are undecided about the way forward at this point. We want to read the fine print. And if the majority leader puts it on the floor we'll react accordingly."
Missouri's open Senate race gained a new entrant on Tuesday, as Mark McCloskey, the man who, with his wife, became infamous for brandishing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters, declared his candidacy, with his official announcement set to take place on Tucker Carlson's show in the evening.
But one interesting element of his campaign caught the eye of some on social media: the fact that his campaign image shows him standing on a farm in front of a tractor, even though he is a personal injury attorney and not a farmer, and lives in a suburban mansion just outside St. Louis.
McCloskey and his wife Patricia have been indicted on several charges stemming from their armed confrontation of civil rights protesters, including exhibiting weapons and, after they allegedly altered the firearms used in the incident, tampering with evidence. They have become GOP heroes for their stance against Black Lives Matter, being invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in 2020, and Republican Gov. Mike Parson has repeatedly said he will pardon the couple if they are convicted on any counts.
The Senate seat, vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, has other entrants. Eric Greitens, the former Missouri governor who resigned after the alleged blackmail and sexual exploitation of his hairdresser, has also announced a campaign. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is running as well.
Why the hell is he pretending to be some farmer? People only know he exists because protesters were outside his *m… https://t.co/lBSDWCr3Fi— Alex (@Alex)1621373295.0
@eyokley Didn’t he live in the Central West End? Not many tractors driving through Forest Park— Tal Kopan (@Tal Kopan)1621371156.0
@eyokley @SenhorRaposa Nice tractor but this is where he really lives. Real "Man of the People". https://t.co/tQGStdmcQY— Joyous Panther (@Joyous Panther)1621369597.0
@eyokley Salt of the Earth. https://t.co/t2ICft0CaF— David Hennenhoefer (@David Hennenhoefer)1621371968.0
Andrew Weissmann, the former senior prosecutor to Robert Mueller, wants to know the facts that the Justice Department gave to the grand jury to convince them to issue a subpoena to a Twitter account that regularly mocks Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA).
Speaking to MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday, Weissmann explained that included in the Twitter documents/papers, the account was unmasked because of "threatening communications."
"That seems transparently thin, because we have all of the Twister accounts and feeds," he noted. "We can see that. Also, if there was anything to it, why is it two months later that the Justice Department is saying, 'You know what? We're going to give this up.' I mean, if there's a threat to a congressional officer, that's going to be taken seriously. This really smacks of a grand jury subpoena being issued for political purposes."
He noted that it might not be as much about Nunes, but undermining the rule of law at the Justice Department while under Attorney General Bill Barr's leadership. This week, Americans also learned that the DOJ denied prosecutors the ability to search Rudy Giuliani's devices, despite him being a target of an investigation. The Southern District of New York asked twice, and the DOJ said "no."
"That is to shield friends," Weissmann said. "Here you have the Justice Department by all accounts, that they're using the grand jury as a sword on behalf of a political ally. That's really, you know, the road to Hell for a democracy. The rule of law means that it applies whether they're Democrats or Republicans in power, and the Justice Department isn't supposed to do the bidding of either."
Watch the full discussion in the video below:
Trump used the DOJ to help Devin Nunes www.youtube.com
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