For the better part of today, a highly combative Peter Strzok sat in the witness chair dealing with questions and inflammatory statements from House Rethugs in a Soviet show trial atmosphere. Ostensibly, the hearing was about the FBI's investigation into the private e-mail server of Hillary Clinton, of which Strzok was a major player. But, as Dem David Cicilline (D-RI) pointedly noted, the hearing was not about Strzok, it was about undermining the Russia investigation and defending Donald "Rump" Trump. Strzok had earlier blasted the hearing in his prepared statement as a "notch in Putin's belt". Over and over, the Rethugs led by redneck inquisitor Trey "Deuce" Gowdy (R-Secession) and man-wrestling-with-a-sex-abuse-coverup Jim "Jackass" Jordan (R-Groper) covered the same territory about Strzok's alleged bias and how that may have impacted both the Clinton investigation and the Russian collusion investigation on which he was briefly working. Strzok pushed back strongly when his integrity was impugned by the Rethugs, and noted that if he was professionally biased against Rump, he would have leaked the fact the Rump and his campaign were under an FBI counterintelligence investigation before the 2016 election.
Perhaps the low point was provided (unsurprisingly) by radical wingnut and slimeball Louie "Screwy Louie" Gohmert (R-Shithole) who took the cheapest shot at Strzok's admitted infidelity by asking "how many times did you look all innocent in your wife’s eyes and lie about [his mistress] Ms. Page." The little weasel apparently has no problem with the current occupant of the Oval Office's admissions of groping women, engaging in adulterous affairs and paying hush money, and rampant misogyny.
CBS News has a running recap of the hearing that demonstrates just how desperate Rump's allies are to smear the investigation that's closing in on him, even to the point of damaging our intelligence and law enforcement institutions. While Peter Strzok more than held his own against the Rethug lies and accusations thrown at him, we know that the best time was had by Russian thug Vladimir Putin.
BONUS: Reactions to Gohmert's sliming cheap shot (more here):
Rarely seen a more cowardly act than Rep. Gohmert attacking a witness personally and then trying to get the chairman to refuse him the chance to respond— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) July 12, 2018
I appreciate Gohmert chiding Peter Strzok about his affair. Good to know we have Congressmen who care about marriage and family values. Oh look, it's Republican President Donald Trump!— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) July 12, 2018
If you're just tuning in, Louie Gohmert just attacked Peter Strzok for cheating on his wife, in the context of defending Donald Trump.— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 12, 2018
Somewhere Irony is huffing gasoline fumes out of a brown paper bag.
BONUS II: The Onion weighs in (h/t Silver Spring Bureau Chief Brian).Gohmert’s idea of sexual morality: He campaigned for Roy Moore after Moore was outed for preying on teenage girls. And this week he suggested that the Ohio State wrestlers were lying about having been groped. https://t.co/Y5O2NK99zj— Will Saletan (@saletan) July 12, 2018
BONUS III: Charles Pierce is worth a read (especially his gallery of Republican crackpots who were in attendance).
5 comments:
I watched a lot of this circus with a sick stomach listening to the Rethugs try to trip up Strzok. They should know that you can't trip up someone who's telling the truth.
Diva -- They'll never be able to claim they're the "law and order" or "patriotic" party again. They're complicit with Russia.
I tried to watch, I really did. Got as far as Daryl Issa, who clearly issa asshole, and quit.
Strzok gave a solid performance as a punching bag, but one that took every punch and gave back all. All the shame belongs to the GOP, party of hate and dishonesty. One more example of who the good guys are, and who the enemies.
donnah -- Strzok did a good job of punching back and seemed to throw many of the Rethugs off balance. He wasn't afraid to contradict them or calling out their BS. He won.....but so did Putin, thanks to this spectacle brought to us by craven and complicit Rethug pols.
What frustrates me is that nothing was discovered. No progress was made into the Russian investigation, no secrets revealed, nothing accomplished, except the wasting of time and money on Republican fantasies.The Republicans keep standing around, waving their arms as a distraction from what we need to know avout Putin and his ownership of Trump.
Once again, we all get the sizzle, but no steak. At least Strzok was the grillmaster, and the Republicans got burned.
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