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Big House Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department oversight coming up in a few minutes. Not sure I have the stamina to live tweet this one, too, but I'll at least provide highlights.
Taking an over/under on how fast Jim Jordan will be speaking today, we're already at 13,000 words per minute.
I'm not sure what Jim Jordan is talking about at this House Judiciary hearing but I'm 90% sure these are lyrics to We Didn't Start the Fire?
Unsurprisingly, House @GOP are now trying to derail and end the Judiciary Committee hearing before it even begins.
Jordan and other Republicans are arguing that a subpoenaed witness has to appear on the Hill in person. A witness is about to testify via video chat.
Jordan and other Republicans are arguing that a subpoenaed witness has to appear on the Hill in person. A witness is about to testify via video chat.
Not every House hearing is a partisan clown show. Republicans treated yesterday's #COVID19 hearing with Dr. Fauci with seriousness and had a substantive, respectful conversation.
The problem here is Jim Jordan.
The problem here is Jim Jordan.
Former Republican Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer is shredding Bill Barr's conduct as Attorney General in prepared remarks.
Ayer's remarks have angered House @GOP so much that they are again trying to interrupt the hearing.
Ayer's remarks have angered House @GOP so much that they are again trying to interrupt the hearing.
And the hearing has ground to a complete halt as Louie Gohmert bangs his ring on the desk to interrupt Ayer and, now, Nadler.
Gohmert, Jordan and Collins will disrupt this hearing by any means necessary.
I don't blame them. A former Republican Deputy AG just said, "I am here because I believe that William Barr poses the greatest threat in my lifetime to our rule of law and to public trust in it."
I don't blame them. A former Republican Deputy AG just said, "I am here because I believe that William Barr poses the greatest threat in my lifetime to our rule of law and to public trust in it."
Career Justice Department employee John Elias is now outlining how AG Barr blatantly encouraged Justice to target cannabis businesses for investigation.
Elias says cannabis company cases normally make up 2% of Justice Department cases. Under Barr, that number is nearly 30%.
Elias says cannabis company cases normally make up 2% of Justice Department cases. Under Barr, that number is nearly 30%.
You don't really think of Bush administration Justice Department officials as being warriors for the rule of law, so it says something that so many are lining up to warn that Bill Barr represents an unprecedented danger to the rule of law.
If you think today's House Judiciary Committee hearing is a partisan circus, just wait - AG Barr has just agreed to testify before Nadler's committee on July 28 as part of an investigation into Barr's official misconduct.
Louie Gohmert has again interrupted the hearing, and is now trying to bait Chairman Nadler into expelling him from the hearing.
I admire the restraint everyone is showing - Gohmert's constant ring tapping is the most annoying thing in the world.
I admire the restraint everyone is showing - Gohmert's constant ring tapping is the most annoying thing in the world.
ZELINSKY:
"I was told that the Acting U.S. Attorney was giving Roger Stone a break because he was afraid of anger from the President of the United States."
"We were pressured to reduce the sentencing guidelines for Mr. Stone with no clear reason for doing so."
"I was told that the Acting U.S. Attorney was giving Roger Stone a break because he was afraid of anger from the President of the United States."
"We were pressured to reduce the sentencing guidelines for Mr. Stone with no clear reason for doing so."
If you missed that, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky minced no words in testifying that pressure to go easy on Roger Stone came directly from AG Barr.
Barr actively overruled multiple longstanding DOJ guidelines to go easy on the president's friend.
Barr actively overruled multiple longstanding DOJ guidelines to go easy on the president's friend.
DEPUTY AG AYER: "By channeling enforcement efforts into inappropriate targets - for the purpose of harassing people - you're not only wasting money, you're totally undermining public trust in the system. We're on the way to something far worse than Watergate."
The words that make us all cringe: "I now recognize the gentleman from Ohio for five minutes."
"Law and Order Republican" Steve Chabot just chastized Chairman Nadler for holding this hearing. He says Congress has more important issues to deal with than ensuring the Justice Department is independent.
A lot of ink has been spilled outlining AG Barr's corrupt influence during the Mueller investigation and the Trump impeachment, but legislators are also focused on how Barr has turned antitrust enforcement into a tool of personal vengeance. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/politics/elias-testimony-barr-cannabis-trump-automobile-california/index.html
For the fourth time today, Louie Gohmert is attempting to disrupt the hearing by lobbing personal attacks at the witnesses.
Gohmert is accusing Ayer of having a chip on his shoulder and "mouthing things at me" when the microphone is off.
Gohmert is accusing Ayer of having a chip on his shoulder and "mouthing things at me" when the microphone is off.
Now Gohmert is talking about his wedding anniversary. He calls his wife "much more fair than the people around here."
At no point in his time has Gohmert approached asking a question to any of the sworn witnesses.
At no point in his time has Gohmert approached asking a question to any of the sworn witnesses.
You're never going to be able to tell when senility finally takes Louie Gohmert.
AYER: "[Barr] has a personal belief that the president should be above the law, and he has worked very hard to achieve that by negating checks and balances in a variety of ways."
Ayers cites Barr's history of stonewalling U.S. Attorneys, Congress, and the courts.
Ayers cites Barr's history of stonewalling U.S. Attorneys, Congress, and the courts.
AYER came prepared with detailed examples of AG Barr's inappropriate involvement in federal investigations.
AYER cites a list of misconduct as recently as this Sunday, when Barr publicized private details of an ongoing investigation during an interview with Maria Bartiromo
AYER cites a list of misconduct as recently as this Sunday, when Barr publicized private details of an ongoing investigation during an interview with Maria Bartiromo
Nadler has stopped the hearing to remind House @GOP that they are required to wear a face mask at the hearing.
Nadler says he will not recognize any member who refuses to wear a mask.
Nadler says he will not recognize any member who refuses to wear a mask.
I've lost the thread of this hearing because the level of speechifying is just excessive even by House standards.
If you want to take a break from today's hearing, go read my @thedailybeast article on yesterday's #COVID19 hearing! https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-done-with-the-coronavirus-but-its-not-done-with-us-according-to-his-own-disease-doctors
If you want to take a break from today's hearing, go read my @thedailybeast article on yesterday's #COVID19 hearing! https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-done-with-the-coronavirus-but-its-not-done-with-us-according-to-his-own-disease-doctors
House Republicans are now attempting to shame and belittle former U.S. Attorney Zelinsky's decision to testify via video chat.
@RepMikeJohnson poking at Zelinsky by claiming that other people have testified in person despite having concerns about their family's safety.
@RepMikeJohnson poking at Zelinsky by claiming that other people have testified in person despite having concerns about their family's safety.
What you see from Doug Collins and Mike Johnson is an admission that they can't challenge the facts against AG Barr.
Instead of providing evidence that Barr *isn't* guilty of brazen corruption, the House @GOP is whining about having to talk to a video screen.
Instead of providing evidence that Barr *isn't* guilty of brazen corruption, the House @GOP is whining about having to talk to a video screen.
. @RepMikeJohnson: "I'd love to talk about that sham impeachment you wasted the country's time with."
A Democrat I didn't see just shouted back "Ask John Bolton about the sham impeachment!"
A Democrat I didn't see just shouted back "Ask John Bolton about the sham impeachment!"
Big credit to @RepHankJohnson for his line of questioning here.
Johnson isn't wasting time grandstanding. He's walking through a detailed timeline of one instance where AG Barr meddled in an ongoing investigation and overrode concerns from staff attorneys.
Johnson isn't wasting time grandstanding. He's walking through a detailed timeline of one instance where AG Barr meddled in an ongoing investigation and overrode concerns from staff attorneys.
Democrats should be yielding their time to @RepHankJohnson to continue this incredibly effective line of questioning.
Johnson is offering a step-by-step look at what is *supposed* to happen in the Anti-Trust Division, and how AG Barr hijacked the process for political ends.
Johnson is offering a step-by-step look at what is *supposed* to happen in the Anti-Trust Division, and how AG Barr hijacked the process for political ends.
It isn't an accident that Jim Jordan is doing everything he can to swerve this hearing away from @RepHankJohnson's unexpectedly effective antitrust questions.
The easiest way to defeat Jim Jordan's questions is to have a basic understanding of what your job entails.
It might be worthwhile to ask why Jim Jordan is so deeply invested in arguing that every single person who reports criminal wrongdoing is a liar.
Now we have @RepTedDeutch asking some interesting questions that for the life of me I can barely hear. Zelinsky and Deutch seem to have an overlapping audio problem.
Here we go. @RepTedDeutch is using the same step-by-step strategy used so well by @RepHankJohnson, this time to explain how AG Barr intervened in the Roger Stone trial to get Stone a lower sentence.
Best Deutch moment: "He threatened to kill the dog!?"
Best Deutch moment: "He threatened to kill the dog!?"
ZELINSKY: "There were meetings the member of my team had with leadership at the U.S. Attorney's Office, where we were asked not to submit our original sentencing memo."
They didn't know it, but Barr was already angling to submit a lighter sentencing memo for Stone.
They didn't know it, but Barr was already angling to submit a lighter sentencing memo for Stone.
Even if you disagree with the Democrats' argument on impeaching Trump, they followed protocols and conducted the hearings and trial in line with the law.
Zelinsky and Ayer are offering reams of evidence that Barr is busy creating his own, parallel legal system.
Zelinsky and Ayer are offering reams of evidence that Barr is busy creating his own, parallel legal system.
. @RepRichmond with the quote of the day: "They say we're just holding this hearings to embarrass the president. If we wanted to embarrass the president, we'd just have to sit back and do nothing."
As @RepRichmond mentions the coordination between Roger Stone and Wikileaks to release stolen DNC emails, it's important to remember that the @GOP doesn't argue the facts of that situation. They argue Stone actually did nothing wrong conspiring with Wikileaks.
Anyone who has paid attention since 2017 knows @RealDonaldTrump thinks the DOJ exists to do his personal dirty work.
What we didn't fully appreciate, and what ZELINSKY is showing, is just how eager AG Barr was to turn DOJ into a Trump family operation.
What we didn't fully appreciate, and what ZELINSKY is showing, is just how eager AG Barr was to turn DOJ into a Trump family operation.
And we're recessed for five minutes so I would like to compliment @RepTedDeutch, the only person who remembered to unmute himself without being reminded.
I had to choose my lunch wisely so I am eating a single day-old churro
The problem with @RepMcClintock painting Michael Flynn as some truth-teller jeopardizing the power of the "Deep State" as National Security Advisor ignores the inconvenient fact that Flynn is, in fact, an incompetent boob who was repeatedly fired for lying to his bosses.
. @RepMcClintock is guilty of some very shoddy slight of hand here. His argument seems to be that any attempt by courts to hold Republicans accountable is a direct assault on the legitimacy of the presidency.
Convenient that his theory springs a lot of Republicans out of jail
Convenient that his theory springs a lot of Republicans out of jail
. @RepJeffries is up now and he starts off by reminding the @GOP that "the legislature is a coequal branch of government, we don't work for Donald Trump."
It isn't the job of Congress to protect Trump officials from accountability when they do wrong.
It isn't the job of Congress to protect Trump officials from accountability when they do wrong.
. @RepJeffries: "You were warned if you did not tow the lie and give Roger Stone a break, you would lose your job, correct?"
ZELINSKY: "That is correct."
ZELINSKY: "That is correct."
ZELINSKY reveals Barr's modified sentencing proposal for Roger Stone included a recommendation of "zero days."
Zelinsky says the form recommended incarceration, but the document wasn't fully filled out.
Zelinsky says the form recommended incarceration, but the document wasn't fully filled out.
Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan are now engaging in some hijinks so my brain is going into maintenance mode for a second.
As compelling as it is to hear Jim Jordan scream about Hillary Clinton and Joseph Mifsud, I'm going to wrap up this live-tweet for now and provide highlights from here on out.
This ain't even my day job, I just love you all.
This ain't even my day job, I just love you all.
By the way folks, if you want some great live analysis of this House Judiciary Hearing on AG Barr's corruption, check out @nycsouthpaw.
I promise you'll learn WAY more about the details of this hearing from him. https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1275857516728107009
I promise you'll learn WAY more about the details of this hearing from him. https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1275857516728107009
Holding nothing back, Former Deputy AG Ayer just accused AG Barr of "doing the bidding" of "whatever fantasies" @RealDonaldTrump feels like pursuing.
Ayer condemned "the Obamagate fantasies spewed out by this committee," looking directly at Jim Jordan.
Ayer condemned "the Obamagate fantasies spewed out by this committee," looking directly at Jim Jordan.
Something tells me Deputy AG Ayer isn't a big fan of the way hacks like Jim Jordan have dragged his beloved Republican Party into the gutter by catering to wild Qanon and Obamagate conspiracies.
It's good to see a respected Republican openly mocking Jim Jordan.
It's good to see a respected Republican openly mocking Jim Jordan.
ELIAS says something fascinating: when he filed a complaint accusing DOJ of investigating companies for purely political reasons, DOJ told him that wasn't illegal.
"That seemed perplexing to me, like there must be a rule missing because that seems plainly wrong."
"That seemed perplexing to me, like there must be a rule missing because that seems plainly wrong."
