Jordan and Gaetz buried by ex-DOJ official for 'frat-boy' antics during Merchan hearing

According to a former counsel to ex-Attorney General Janet Reno who was called to testify in a hearing conducted by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), it was nothing less than a clown show with the Ohio Republican and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) performing at center stage.

In a column for the Daily Beast, attorney Shan Wu claimed the hearing on the supposed "weaponization" of the law against Donald Trump was a deeply unserious affair with Republicans more interested in playing for the cameras than asking serious, substantive questions.

As he wrote, he appeared to answer questions about the trial of the former president in Manhattan where Trump was accused — and later convicted — on 34 counts of fraud related to paying off an adult film star before the 2016 presidential election. As he noted, the hearing before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government took place before the verdict had been rendered.

Focusing on his personal experience under questioning by Florida's Gaetz, Wu expressed disgust at his absurd questions that seemed designed to amuse Jordan rather than a sincere attempt to understand the law.

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"The questions that stuck out at me the most were the ones from Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to the Republican witnesses," he wrote.

"Gaetz wanted to make the point that convicting Trump under a theory that involved covering up the payments so as not to have them treated as campaign contributions meant that he, Gaetz, could start buying ties and charging them to his campaign," he recalled before adding, "Gaetz’s pleasure with himself was blatant as he grinned and snickered throughout. Chairman Jim Jordan appeared to enjoy Gaetz’s performance even more than Gaetz, continuously beaming and laughing during Gaetz’s questions."

According to Wu, the interaction between the two Republican bomb-throwers was not only appalling but also a sign of what to expect if Democrats don't take the House in November and Jordan remains the chair of the powerful Judiciary Committee.

"In their frat-boy style joking I could sense that there was no real substance to their inquiries. Sure, they and their Republican colleagues did a bunch of speechifying in their questions critical of Trump’s conviction but that did not seem the real point at all," he wrote before warning, "... it’s a show that masks the real dangers of using the trappings of Congress to interfere with the administration of justice."

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