GOP Process Arguments Are Being Made In Bad Faith

Don’t pay any attention to the bad faith process arguments from the GOP.

The Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee and their lawyers have had complete access to the evidence. These members and staff have been actively involved in cross-examining the witnesses.

As a matter of fact, 13 of the GOP House members who broke House rules yesterday and stormed a secure area with their cell phones in hand already had access to the hearings.

Eventually, these witnesses will be testifying in public. When that happens, you can count on the Republicans complaining about a publicity stunt.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee initially deposed witnesses behind closed doors with bi-partisan participation. Those witnesses eventually testified in public.

Between 1994 and 1998, the Ken Starr team deposed hundreds of witnesses in complete secrecy in a grand jury setting. No Democrats participated and there was no cross-examination of the witnesses. The only thing we learned about their testimony was when Starr would violate federal law and selectively leak grand jury material to the press to make the Clintons look bad.

When the House Judiciary Committee held its impeachment hearings in late 1998, none of the witnesses that Starr’s office had deposed testified in public. Instead, Starr himself was the star witness even though he only sat through one deposition.

Never believe GOP outrage. It is always 100% fake.

“The lesson here is never to take right-wing huffiness about the process of politics and political debate seriously. These guys don’t actually believe in any rules at all; whatever rule they may lay down in one case, they’ll break in an instant if they think they see an advantage.”

Paul Krugman