For years now — but especially since the end of 2020 — government officials are being legally called to Congress to testify in front of oversight panels… where they either lie with impunity, dissemble with impunity, or both. They stonewall yes-or-no questions, UNDER OATH, and get away with it because none of it gets punished. It makes Bill and Zo angry, and I’ll bet it makes you angry too.
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14 replies on “The Death of Accountability”
Holding these bubbleheads accountable …
Well, start with not confirming their appointments. If you can’t block their appointments make sure who ever is running against the idiot that voted to confirm them uses that fact as ammunition in his campaign guns.
Why are Republican Senatorial candidates not making a big deal out of this?
There are many reasons, too many to get into. Until people who want to run on a Republican Party ticket start fighting like they mean it, this is what we’re going to get.
If you call yourself a Republican this is as much your fault as anyone else’s. Give us good candidates to vote for, not scared squishes who cannot bear the idea of hurting anyone’s feelings. Then maybe we’ll see some results. Worked great for Donald Trump, learn a lesson from the Big D.
Accountability is never a thing with Democrats. It is why no one ever stops to see if any government program has done what it set out to do.
It is all about the feels, not about results.
Has anyone taken time to wade through the congressional rules that would let us know exactly what needs to take place to hole these bureaucratic drones accountable for lying under oath? Obviously there must be some mechanism otherwise, why put them under oath. I can understand that as long as the democrats control the Senate little if anything WILL be done there but surly, with a majority, the House can do something if they are willing. If they are not then as far as I know, our only recourse is to replace them with someone with a spine. Why are we not seeing Senators like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz at least not pushing back and asking for accountability publicly. If they are I have not seen it!!
I googled Illinois governors over the last 50 years to see how many have done jail time: 4 of the last 10 for sure. It really is the Uniparty where there is only occasional accountability, for show. Bah!
Then I noticed this 1999 article: https://www.centerforilpolitics.org/articles/governors-convicted-on-greater-federal-corruption-offenses
Forgive me, but I think some of us could use a laugh:
Brian lives in California. He was sick of the world, of covid 19 residuals, Trump, Russian belligerence, China, climate change, inflation, racial tensions, and all the rest of the inane media fixations and lies.
Brian drove his car into his garage, sealed every doorway and window as best he could, got back into his car, opened all the windows, tuned to his favorite radio station, started the car and revved it to a slow idle, leaned back and closed his eyes.
Five days later a worried neighbor peeked through his garage window and saw him in the car. She notified Emergency Services, and they broke in and pilled Brian from the car in near perfect condition, but his Tesla had a dead battery.
Brian is a registered democrat.
Wouldn’t surprise me. But 5 days?!l!!? Expecting an electric car to kill you with carbon monoxide is one thing. But waiting 5 days?!!!!? Special kind of stupid.
Perfect for Democratic representative, senator, appointee or President.
We who follow politics are forever asking “where’s the accountability?” How flagrant a lie was the “Russian collusion” story? The “Hunter’s laptop” story? Hillary’s multitude of illegal machinations? The FBI’s flagrant abuse of power with Comey(sp?), et al. The treasonous work to globalize, destroy Western culture, destroy faith, push the climate-excused power grab done by the Left? Question truth?
Accountability is not coming unless we have another “1776” moment, to quote Vivek Ramaswamy.
Unfortunately, the war surrounding that “1776 moment” lasted eight years (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783). A modern incarnation of such a conflict could last decades — envision the Terminator scenario where the rebels are locked in conflict with the powers-that-be for decades. It is questionable whether or not We the People have the will for such a potential conflict.
If We The People do not have the will, we will certainly lose our magnificent country. If we cherish our freedoms, we must fight for them. We cannot live as renters, but must live as owners, protecting the way of life we value.
Amen, sister.
I’ll admit that listening to Ramaswami speak made me think it was possible, though. I heard him interviewed by Candace on DW.
I have no doubt that you are correct!
Unfortunately, Keith is correct with his implication that our beloved country is consumed by instant gratification and separation from reality as represented by much of its citizenry’s obvious infatuation with TikTok.
The movie “Idiocracy”, prodded to fulfillment by TikTok, then, DP?
Excellent observation, Bill, glad you brought it up. Looking at this cynically (my usual approach, given my experience), testifying in front of Congress is nothing but Kabuki theater. It’s theater for the testifier and it’s theater for the questioners. Those of us watching this spectacle get pissed off when the lying happens, or when some moron nominee can’t explain what a woman is, so we’re entertained too.
While some of these folks lend the illusion that congressional oversight is serious business (Comer, Jim Jordan, Hawley, Rand Paul, and in the past Chaffetz), at the end of the day, those testifying may lie with impunity. Why? In a word, politics. Take the House’s 2012 citation of Eric Holder to be in contempt, for example, over the Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal. Here we have a Republican House that expects the head of the very department (DOJ) to investigate himself. Most of us would refer to that silly exercise as “pissing in the wind.” It’s nice to relieve your bladder, but you get wet.
The process works like this – the House or Senate holds a person in contempt. Once the particular house of congress votes (simple majority) to do so, the matter is referred to DOJ in the form of a citation and, if DOJ chooses to prosecute, it goes to the D.C. district court.
Right. In D.C. district court. What a joke. The D.C. justice system has become so polluted with politics that we still have J6 political prisoners in jail awaiting trial 2 years after J6. But back to Holder’s contempt charge. The lawyers do what they do and the back-and-forth commences, and the lawyers get paid and countless trees are cut down to make the paper they generate. To make a long story short, this Holder issue wasn’t resolved until May 2019. Holder spent zero days in jail.
But Bill Barr was also held in contempt. Zero action.
The last time that either the House or Senate arrested or detained someone occurred in 1934 when a former member of Hoover’s administration declined to appear before the Senate. The House Sergeant at Arms didn’t have a place to hold him (McCracken), so they put him up at a local hotel. (I kinda wonder if he ordered room service.)
Given the back-and-forth nature of today’s politics at the federal level (Blue one term, red the next), when you have one entity (DOJ) charged with investigating and prosecuting, it’s not hard to see how each administration – regardless of Democrat or Republican – is going to use its power for itself. This is especially true when the houses of Congress are split like they are with power wielded by one entity by a mere whisker.
The only thing missing at congressional
hearingsKabuki theater is the sake.I was just about to query as to when the next Virtue Signal was coming.