The GOP majority in the new House ignores a key principle I learned in my five years as a Republican on the House Oversight Committee: managing expectations. His "blame first, never know the truth" approach to scrutiny is sure to overwhelm most voters, undermine promises and fail.
House Republicans started with a huge credibility gap. A recent poll by Navigator Research found that only 16% of Americans believe the GOP investigations are important. The Pew Research Center found that 65% of American adults believe Republicans will focus too much on investigating the Biden administration.
Independent voters gathered for a Washington Post focus group see the GOP agenda as retaliation against Democrats and show little interest in his concerns for the president's son, Hunter Biden. Asked about the absurd new House special subcommittee on federal militarization, most Americans polled by ABC News and The Washington Post didn't think it was legitimate.
Knowing all of this, one would think that a Republican Congress would do whatever it takes to ensure that the primary hearings are successful. No chance.
Wednesday, representatives of the first oversight committee. Kentucky's James Comer hosted a sensational hearing titled "Protecting Speech from Government Intrusion and Social Media Prejudice, Part 1: Twitter's Role in Social Media Oppression," which was "the history of the Biden laptop."
Unfortunately for Republicans, the former Twitter executive they chose to testify undermined their central thesis by testifying that neither the FBI nor anyone else ordered them to withhold information about Hunter Biden. The only revelation of federal interference in free speech was the former White House's attempt to force Twitter to censor criticism of model Chrissy Teigen of former President Trump.
Unable to back up their allegations with their own witnesses, the Republican panel tried to ignore the testimony and make unsubstantiated claims against the Bidens. It also took a hit when newcomer Dan Goldman (DN.Y.) disputed one of Comer's claims about a young Biden in real time. As Bloomberg reports, "the incoming Goldman offered no counterargument, tried to move the trial along, then suggested a bathroom break."
The Armaments Committee's founding hearings were held the following day. Once again, Republicans from Hillary Clinton to Dr. Anthony Fauci deployed. Sens. Republicans became their "star" witnesses. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Charles E. of Iowa. Grassley and Fox News personalities Tulsi Gabbard and Jonathan Turley, who, predictably, offered no evidence to support the Justice Department's claim of GOP bias. . When Democrats asked him to provide witnesses, documents, memos and whistleblower transcripts to substantiate the allegations, committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) refused.
From the first two attempts to regulate it, it's clear that House Republicans are getting absolutely nothing. Their strenuous efforts to prove "out there" backfired spectacularly and raised serious questions about Jordan and Comer's core competencies.
The American people have no appetite for this type of taxpayer funded witch hunt. Most voters who pull the Republican lever in the midterms don't care about first-time family members who don't even work in government. They care a lot about the economy and inflation.
Many House Republicans. Turning congressional courtrooms into Fox News sets will only reveal a new majority of America's deeply divided people.
Curt Bardella is a contributing writer for Opinion Magazine. He is a Democratic strategist and former Republican senior adviser to the House Oversight Committee. @cartbardella
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
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