Reclaiming Their Time- House Democrats’ “Why We Also Hate Trump’s Attorney General” Orgy of Invective
In a five-hour orgy of slanderous invective, hurled at Attorney General William Barr during Tuesday’s hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Democrats on the committee took turns bashing Barr, on everything with which they find themselves in opposition to Barr’s boss, President Donald Trump.
Partisan opposition against a sitting President is nothing new in the halls of our nation’s capital, but the Democrats’ opposition to Trump has taken on a whole new meaning, based not in ideology but in sheer hatred of the man, himself.
Even when several Democrats would preface their “questions” with “Under oath, do you here and now testify…?” Barr was surreptitiously cut off in answering the allegations when Democrats interrupted his response with “I am going to reclaim my time…” over and over and over, again.
Barr’s first Judiciary Committee hearing, since his appointment as President Donald Trump’s second Attorney General in February 2019, and twice delayed due to corona virus, began more than an hour later than scheduled, because House Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) was involved in a minor traffic accident (some reports indicate two such accidents) on his way to the Capitol.
Nadler didn’t waste any time upon his arrival and immediately set the tone for the hearing in his opening address saying, “…shame on you, Mr. Barr, shame on you…” after accusing the Attorney General of subordinating his office by acting as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and interfering with justice in his handling of the Roger Stone and Michael Flynn convictions and sentencing. The accusations didn’t stop there.
The Attorney General was also accused of exceeding his authority in the June 1st, 2020 confrontation between U.S. Park Police/Secret Service officers and so-called “peaceful protesters” in Lafayette Square, following a night where federal officials were assaulted by these so-called “peaceful protesters” and nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church was set afire. When the Attorney General decided that the barricade preventing protester approach to the north lawn of the White House, needed to be extended from H Street to I Street, in order to protect the square as well as St. John’s, he was accused of doing so just to set up a “photo op” for the President, holding a bible in front of the church.
Nadler went on to deny Barr a late afternoon, five-minute break insisting the hearing was “almost over.” In fact, the hearing would continue for almost another hour, but not before Nadler was shamed into granting the request by House Republicans on the Committee.
Barr was also accused of instigating/aggravating “peaceful protester” unrest in deploying federal reinforcement officers to aid in protecting the U. S. District Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, under siege since riots began in that city two months prior. One of the Committee members, Steve Cohen (D-TN), has already called for Barr’s impeachment on these “offenses” while his fellow partisans took turns making baseless accusations against Barr, including that he supposedly was harboring systemic racism in the staff he brought with him into the job.
None of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee joined in condemning riots taking place in cities around the country, insisting instead that peaceful protests are being intentionally aggravated by supposed right-wing groups attempting to create footage to be used in Trump’s campaign commercials. No evidence, not a shred of it, has come forth to substantiate such claims, but these are supposedly the fault of Barr, as well.
While most Americans are struggling with their own problems- in the wake of corona virus, its attendant layoffs, business shutdowns and urban unrest- had far better things to do than watch this spectacle, the shame of it is that they missed an opportunity to see first-hand, the absolute and possibly-psychotic level of hatred on the part of Democrats towards Trump as well as his supporters. In the televised reports following Tuesday’s Judiciary Committee hearings, they would be told how Barr was grilled by Democrats, and how he supposedly refused to provide the testimony they sought. What wouldn’t be mentioned in these reports is the sheer hatred that became all too obvious in the Democrats’ questioning, accusing, and then refusing to allow the Attorney General to answer these charges, which finally led an exasperated Barr to ask,
“Isn’t it the purpose of a hearing to hear what the witness has to say?”
No, we are sorry to say that Democrats- well expertized in the art of re-definition, have changed the meaning of their “hearing” to be “hearing” them spout off the most egregious invective against a sitting President and his Attorney General, just because like everything else, it’s all about November.
The real danger lies in the control of information stemming from these proceedings, and that most Americans will be going to the polls to vote as they have been systematically led to do so, by a mainstream media set on defeating President Trump at all costs (most precipitously being their own credibility), but then again, what the hell is media credibility when Donald Trump might be re-elected?
One might ask a member of the media, or for that matter a Democrat, that very question… then again, they would answer by merely reclaiming their time…
God willing, their “time” will be up- come November. Otherwise, we are in for the hell that will follow.
-Drew Nickell, 29 July 2020
© 2020 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.
author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”
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