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).
