A Party of Liars?

 

Recently, in the news, we have heard statements from many elected Republican officials that were, if not outrageous, at least preposterous, and in several cases, just outright lies. We have already seen that Jim Jordan’s weaponisation hearings showcased fired FBI agents and other discredited former officials. Others made statements that could not be supported by those testifying. So-called whistleblowers were proven baseless in their claims.

A producer on a recent Fox News Show now fired, even presented a chyron that stated President Biden was a “wannabe dictator”. This producer once worked for fired host Tucker Carlson, who supported him in prepared remarks that also attacked President Biden. Carlson was, of course, one of that network’s biggest tellers of tall tales.

The former president, after his arraignment, claimed that President Biden was weaponizing the Department of Justice. In the House, the Republican leadership spoke out forcefully against the indictment, blaming President Biden. Speaker McCarthy, leaders, Steve Scalise, and Elise Stefanik all claimed the indictments were illegal actions. Senators Rubio, Graham, and Cruz echoed his remarks. Cruz even made the bizarre remark that the Special Counsel hates the former president. Graham indicated that if DJT was indicted for January 6^th, Republicans would consider it a major outrage. (This is from a man who stood up in the Senate and said he was finished with the president after that incident. Glad to know he is consistent!) Rubio, who once claimed that DJT could not be trusted with the nuclear codes, is now claiming that since the US doesn’t know if mere ownership of the secret hidden documents has caused any harm, no indictment should have been issued. This overlooks the fact that the law noted that the possession of the documents and refusal to return the requested papers was illegal.

Other Republican leaders in the Senate, such as Senator McConnell and John Thune, said nothing. Senator Vance from Ohio, who won with the former president’s support, vowed to hold off hearings on all appointments for DOJ prosecutors and claimed that Biden was using the justice system to steal the 2024 election. The claims of weaponizing were also echoed by AG wannabe Jeffrey Clark. Clark, who was acting AG for a ‘second or two’ in a coup attempt after the 2020 election until the DOJ attorneys threatened to resign en masse, was totally discredited then, and is now popping up again much like the proverbial bad penny. Where do they find these guys?

Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin and Dan Goldman spoke up in opposition to these remarks. Goldman, a former prosecutor, spoke highly of the professionalism of Special Counsel Jack Smith while Raskin spoke against claims of a two-tiered system of Justice being touted by the right wing and Truth Social. Raskin again supported the idea of the Rule of Law, with the principle that no one is above the law in our system.

Many commentators noted the former president was not required to post bail, surrender his passport, or have his travel restricted, which would have been the case with any other defendant under similar circumstances. Air National Guard member Teixeira in Massachusetts, charged with sharing secrets on the Internet, has been jailed since his arrest, was denied bail, and kept in jail after his recent indictment on six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified documents.

DJT is apparently working the phones to Republicans on the Hill and elsewhere to ensure a constant sense of outrage continues to be voiced by ‘his’ MAGA elected officials.

A Republican member of Congress from Florida, Representative Anna Luna, even introduced a measure to censure former Impeachment manager Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California. Fortunately, the measure failed to pass, as twenty Republicans refused to support this unwise move, although most of their conference did.

Why should we be concerned about these lies? Well, they are echoed and embellished by right-wing media, on talk radio, on certain websites, and most notably on cable channels such as Fox, One America, and Newsmax.

It is sometimes said ‘that a lie can travel around the world while the truth is putting on its’ shoes.’ Is the general public hearing the truth? Does the public even care anymore? Many Democrats now complain that President Biden is not speaking out against these falsehoods or defending his Department of Justice. However, the President said when he appointed Attorney General Garland that he would be a hands-off president with the department, unlike his predecessor. He currently has had no comments and probably will not, letting the DOJ speak for itself. AG Garland and Special Counsel Smith have both made brief remarks sticking to the facts related to the indictment.

Now, interestingly enough, Former AG Barr is saying that “DJT is toast if the charges in the indictments can be proven.” (Attempting to recast yourself, Mr. Barr? Sorry, my memory is intact as I and many others still remember your redacting and reworking of the Mueller Report, so that it said little of consequence. You still don’t get a pass for that whitewashing or other acts where you went after the foes of your boss. He is now threatening to do that again if he is re-elected. Another reason to not vote for him, folks!)

Other former administration members have spoken up about the classified documents and the indictment. These men are also Republicans, but they are also professionals who are not echoing the MAGA line. I am no fan of Pompeo or Bolton. One needs to compare their comments with those above who are elected officials. All were careful to say that if true, the indictments are serious offenses. Secretary Esper claimed service members could be endangered if he released some details from documents such as the maps described. Former Secretary of State Pompeo claimed defenses could be compromised if details about nuclear secrets were shared. Ex-National Security Advisor Bolton described careless handling of documents and inattention to security issues by the former president when he served. As he served in other administrations, he drew an obvious line in describing the differences concerning classified areas across various presidencies. Many Democrats still remember that Bolton, however, kept his comments about his time in office quiet, until after the impeachment hearings, some thought, to increase sales of his upcoming book. He refused to appear before the House Committee when they asked.

Just this weekend, Republican Presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, former Governor of Arkansas, stepped up to say that Republican candidates should not say they would pardon the former president if they are elected and he was convicted. These actions, would in his opinion, undermine the Rule of Law. He also thought that if the former president was elected after a conviction, he would pardon himself. Hutchinson is a former Federal prosecutor and has said that anyone else would have been arrested long ago for offenses dealing with our nation’s secrets. He condemned the sharing of secrets for entertainment value, as has been claimed. So, there are some responsible Republicans, including Senator Romney, out there; we just need to have more of them speak up.

Current 538 polls put Hutchinson near the bottom of the pack with the former guy getting over 53% of the votes among Republican primary voters. DeSantis, who is slipping weekly, now holds only about 20% of the electorate. DeSantis and Abbott teamed up to send some more hapless immigrants to California this week in new stunts to hit Democratic urban areas in blue states. They feel they are really showing their conservative credentials–or something with these actions; I guess!

Right-wing commentators continue to hammer President Biden on his age, forgetting that their guy is only a couple of years younger and in a much worse physical condition. How many times did they play “the fall” when he tripped over a sandbag on the stage at the Air Force Academy? In that vein, a Fox reporter asked California Representative Katie Porter if she thought the President was fit enough for office when he canceled his afternoon schedule recently after dental work. Porter’s rejoinder- “Have you ever had a root canal?” -was priceless. Way to go, Katie!!

Tomorrow we commemorate the Juneteenth Holiday. This holiday, once called Freedom Day, celebrates freedom for the Black community after the Civil War and is a way for communities to share that sense of belonging and togetherness. Some Republicans voted against its enactment two years ago, saying it was divisive. I disagree. This holiday should remind us the Emancipation Proclamation stated all people being held as slaves in states not controlled by the Union were now freed. It would take years for this proclamation to be realized as the news spread slowly. Our country cannot forget these injustices and needs to recognize that all people deserve freedom and justice.

‘Til next week-Peace!