F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that “the truest sign of intelligence is the ability to entertain two contradictory ideas simultaneously.” If so, Capitol Hill this week seems like a Mensa convention.
This week, House Oversight Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., slammed the Oversight Committee Republicans for refusing a demand from Hunter Biden that he be allowed to skip a closed-door deposition and only testify in public. Raskin was appalled despite the fact that he and his Democratic colleagues insisted on the very same practice when they controlled the House.
Raskin declared that the position of the GOP is an “epic humiliation” and the insistence on a deposition is “a frank confession that they are simply not interested in the facts and have no confidence in their own case or the ability of their own Members to pursue it.”
He added:
“Let me get this straight. After wailing and moaning for ten months about Hunter Biden and alluding to some vast unproven family conspiracy, after sending Hunter Biden a subpoena to appear and testify, Chairman Comer and the Oversight Republicans now reject his offer to appear before the full Committee and the eyes of the world and to answer any questions that they pose?”
This is the same Rep. Raskin who sat on the Jan. 6th Committee, which held extensive close-door depositions with witnesses and then held tightly scripted public hearings where witnesses seemed like props in a television production.
That was the same committee that rejected an offer of a key witness, Stewart Rhodes, to testify in a public hearing. The Committee conducted extensive closed-door sessions with witnesses and then called a few to answer specific questions in hearings that were produced with the help of a former network producer.
A congressional subpoena is not like an invitation to a debutante ball where you can choose the time and conditions of your grand entry. By the time a subpoena is issued, you are largely past the negotiation stage.
The use of a close-door deposition serves some obvious purposes. Due to years of delay, Hunter will now face a massive amount of evidence collected by the committee from accounts, messages, and prior depositions of other witnesses. Some of this material can raise confidential material that might not be subject to public disclosure.
There are also obvious tactical benefits from such depositions. They can lock in a witness on an account. Indeed, they can easily trap a witnesses who strays from a practiced narrative — conflicts that come at the risk of criminal incrimination. Finally, they allow the Committee to focus on the most productive areas for the public hearings — the very function used by Raskin and his colleagues in prior hearings.
Hunter is looking at the worst possible conditions for sworn testimony. He is appearing near the end of the investigation after other testimony and evidence have been reviewed and prepared. Any false statement can result in a new criminal charge. While the Justice Department inexplicably allowed the statute of limitations to run on past felonies, any false statement would create a “new set of downs” for prosecutors in seeking criminal charges.
While Hunter has insisted that he would only testify at “the right time” and only in public, he has reached the point of diminishing options and rising risks. A refusal to appear could trigger a contempt charge — a charge that Attorney General Merrick Garland has aggressively used against Trump associates.
In his letter, Hunter Biden’s counsel Abbe Lowell denounced the subpoena and noted that “Hunter is a private person who has never worked in any family business nor ever served in the White House or in any public office.” Of course, the investigation is exploring long-standing allegations that influence peddling was the Biden family business.
Hunter has long been able to count on an enabling and at times fawning media to avoid answering difficult questions. That will now end with this subpoena. As for the Democrats, they will be faced with the very same process that they used in prior investigations. The alarm over the appearance of Hunter under oath in a deposition is justified, but the objections are not.
Simply put, Jamie Raskin is, and always has been, a phony.
Pot meet kettle….
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that “the truest sign of intelligence is the ability to entertain two contradictory ideas simultaneously.” If so, Capitol Hill this week seems like a Mensa convention.
China’s economy is in a death spiral, but their CCP Commie leaders are arresting citizens who are trying to withdraw bank deposits because the CCP asserts nothing is wrong with the economy.
Just.Like.Democrats.
Naturally Marxist Politburo Congressman Jamie Raskin tells Americans that Hunter is being oppressed even if Raskin literally deprived Americans of equal justice by twice impeaching a duly elected President who beat the tar out of Hitlery Clinton and destroyed the lives of Jan 6 rioters while BLM ANTIFA torched all of America.
It is all part of the Communist Manifesto that Dems adopted years ago as their sacred text. We are living in a Marxist nation. Don’t believe it?
Anyone who has read Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, and successive atheist philosophers like Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michael Foucault, can recognize the verbiage of BLM, ANTIFA, CRT, WOKE, DEI, Randi Weingarten’s teachers union, MSM, and Democrats talking points as parroting the Communist Manifesto. The anti-semitism groundswell on university campuses and their idiocy of Jews as “oppressing” residents of Gaza is Marxism 101. Sadly the university kids are too stupid to know any better just like Karl Marx prescribed. It is all part of the Marxist playbook of oppressed vs oppressor, articulated enthusiastically by Dems and their trolls with defective minds
The WSJ reports:
Gaza Protests at Colleges Open a Generational Divide
“… pro-Palestinian college demonstrators say their activism is rooted in a deeply held conviction that the world is divided between the oppressed and their oppressors. That view frames the suffering of an array of populations, they say, including low-income families being evicted from their homes, Black and brown people who encounter brutal treatment by the police, migrants turned away from safe haven at the border and, in the current conflict, Palestinians struggling to wrest control of territory from the Israelis.
WSJ
Compare to….
From the preface to the Communist Manifesto
“…..all history has been a history of class struggles, of struggles between exploited and exploiting, between dominated and dominating classes at various stages of social evolution; that this struggle, however, has now reached a stage where the exploited and oppressed class (the proletariat) can no longer emancipate itself from the class which exploits and oppresses it (the bourgeoisie), without at the same time forever freeing the whole of society from exploitation, oppression, class struggles — this basic thought belongs solely and exclusively to Marx. I have already stated this many times; but precisely now is it necessary that it also stand in front of the Manifesto itself.”
Frederick Engels
June 28, 1883, London
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/preface.htm
Of course the citizenry is not familiar with the Communist Manifesto although they should be.
Read. Study. Research. Become familiar with classic texts like the Communist Manifesto, particularly those who are retired and have nothing but time on their hands. Otherwise you especially are part of the problem.
America’s young have swung towards Marxism because their parents failed to form their conscience, and their teachers filled the vacuum. Leftists like Raskin and his DNC/CCP party encouraged Randi Weingarten to pollute the minds of young children. It was all part of the Democrats manifesto
America does not have a chance in hades unless Americans educate themselves so they can vote as informed voters. Hunter Biden is going to walk free, do a couple of lines of cocaine, and the MSM will paint him as oppressed by ordinary Americans (aka oppressors).
Get informed.
Estovir,
I agree about getting informed.
Unfortunately I have a number of books already on my reading list as the winter is when I have more free time to read.
I have added Condoleezza Rice’s book based off your recommendation.
Re-reading 1984, Brave New World, Dune just for . . . fun?
A book on the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation.
You are not retired and have many heads depending on you to put food on the table. Youre hardly the prototypical lard ass, slothful retired American. I thought of you yesterday. Temps dropped to low 20s/ teens here and thought it would be fun to give you a hand working your fields, crops, animals, getting sun and an all around workout. This is compared to hitting the gym with the artificial environment of cardio and weights which dont come close to the real work of farming. If we lived closer, as you recently mentioned, I would definitely hang out at your farm and do God’s work, as our spouses laughed at me/us. I sure miss the great outdoors.
Still looking for firewood!
Esotvir,
Ah, my good friend, a farmer never truly retires. My full intention is to die in the fields, tending to the livestock, working the fields or gardens.
Yes, we got about two feet of snow in less than two days. Lows in the 20s. And we still consider that to be “warm.” 🙂
The fields are resting under the snow. The livestock in the barns or in the attached corrals, only needing their hay and fresh water twice a day. Hence my free time to rest before a good fire with a cup of tea and read a good book. There are still chores to do but a bit more free time to relax, read and think.
I find winter to be a good time to sit back, reflect on the past year both here at home and from a national, global view point and consider the coming year.
For some reason, I keep coming back to invest in chickens, PMs and ammo. I will add, firewood for you my good friend.
Gotta new lever action in 45-70govt I gotta work up some loads for too! 😉
That ^^ was me.
Must of fat finger in my email addy.
Bought some cotton t-shirts on Black Friday that you would like. Check out the Glock tees on sale
Estovir,
Sorry but I think Glock is over rated.
However, what I do like is Duluth long tail tee shirts.
Good quality!
Estovir, that is a terrific summary of resources available to those who would like to understand how the country evolved to where it is today. Like UpstateFarmer I have been collecting books for winter reading. Ted Cruz’s new book UNWOKE traces the history of certain events that have contributed to this “cultural Marxism” that has been making inroads to our traditional values. It’s a dangerous time in America. Unfortunately, we live in a sound-bite society, and the younger generations are being taught “what” to think rather than “how” to think. Now that I have retired from a 40+ year career practicing law, I am ready to become part of the resistance. I would also recommend Victor Davis Hansen’s recent book, THE DYING CITIZEN.
Catherine Cassidy,
Dang it! Another book to read, re: Unwoke. 😉
Thank you for the suggestion!
I read Victor Davis Hansen on a regular basis.
Thanks Catherine. UpState Farmer and I are “brown” folk, the same type that the
bettersbitter bourgeoisie seem intent on rescuing from phantasms. We both vehemently reject these self-anointed faux leaders. It doesnt take a graduate degree or a professional degree to read basic core texts like the “Communist Manifesto”, works by Marxists Jean-Paul Sartre and Michael Foucault to see how DEI, CRT, BLM, MSM, et al literally parrot the failed dogma of Communism. Yet, here we are.Reading = knowledge that no one can take from you. I continually mentor, coach, influence, disciple and mold those in my mind midst. We all should as opposed to living fake identities online and kvetching about x, y and z. Thanks for the Hanson recommendation. He is an articulate man and people who excel in communicating in English are in large part why I am fluent in English as my second language. Reading classics is a luxury that Americans take for granted.
I recommend Darkness at Noon to anyone who is interested in seeing Communism for what it is. It is more gripping than 1984.
I agree about 1984, a must read these days. May I also humbly suggest A World Undone by G. J. Meyer about WWI, pretty scary given Biden’s weakness, Chinese aggression and Iran’s perfidy.
Also any book about ancient Rome, especially by Adrian Goldsworthy.
[Quote] “While the Justice Department inexplicably allowed the statute of limitations to run on past felonies . . .” [/Quote]
. . . “inexplicably” . . .
Now, now Jonathan . . .
These Dims are the very embodiment of every anti-Western value. For them truth, honor, justice and decency are just words to manipulate and control others. The are detestable creatures and their ultimate reward has lots of red and black in it but with damn good tanning weather.
Mespo,
Well said.
They most certainly do not have honor or decency.
Detestable and vile creatures they are.
More people are seeing the Democrat party for what it is: ‘We’re Not Stupid’: BLM Leader Who Endorsed Trump For ’24 Says Dem Policies Hurt Black Families
“It’s the duplicity of the Democrats, the hypocrisy,” Fisher stated. “We’re not stupid. The brothers are not stupid. We understand when someone’s for us and when someone is not, and it’s obvious that the Democratic Party is not for us.”
https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/29/black-lives-matter-mark-fisher-donald-trump-democrat-policies-black-families/
Well said, Mr. Fisher, well said.
“It’s the [Constitution], stupid!”
– James Carville
_________________
The “Dims” are anti-, extra-, and unconstitutional.
The “Dims” would be corrected, and the U.S. would be right and great again if America were placed soundly back on and restricted to the “manifest tenor” of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.
“… tightly scripted public hearings where witnesses seemed like props in a television production …”
Here We Go … Seems the Fourth Estate (The Media) is useful for more than Cover-Ups and Disinformation.
“… Of course, the investigation is exploring long-standing allegations that influence peddling was the Biden family business. …”
Re: lol
𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐧, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲𝐢𝐬𝐭: 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐂 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫
Firm lobbies Sen. Biden although son does not.
Aug. 24, 2008 — The son of Barack Obama’s vice presidential pick, Sen. Joe Biden, is a top partner at a Washington law firm that has lobbied his father’s office, a family tie that could prove embarrassing for a campaign that has positioned itself as fighting lobbyists and special interests in Washington.
In the first six months of this year 𝐑. 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧, 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 of Oldaker, 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 & Belair, has worked on accounts that brought it $470,000 from nine clients, according to lobbying disclosure records.
Although firm members say Biden, 38, does not lobby his father, this kind of family tie, said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, “𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.”
By: ABC News ~ August 23, 2008, 1:32 PM
https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5640118&page=1
[LINK] martindale.com/attorney/robert-h-biden-2257221/
ISLN: 915812699
Member at Oldaker, Biden, & Belair – Is Now: Oldaker, Belair & Wittie LLP
818 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20006
[LINK] opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?cycle=2008&id=D000036374
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐎 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍?
+2 for L&R
You should have gone for the original by the Temptations
Raskin is a good candidate for President of Doublestandardstan, capital city Hypocrisyville.
HullBobby,
Well said.
Raskin is a comic book version of a partisan politician. Whatever he is saying is almost always not true. You can believe almost nothing he says.
“This is the same Rep. Raskin who sat on the Jan. 6th Committee, which held extensive close-door depositions with witnesses”
And did any of those witnesses request a public hearing? JT doesn’t say.
A clarification if any of you want to respond that JT mentioned Rhodes, Rhodes did not request a public hearing in February when he was deposed. He proposed a public hearing in July, long after he was deposed.
OMG. Democrats to be held to the same standard as all the rest of us peons. Will the shocks never end. The world must truly be coming to an end. “ Oh the humanity”. As the dirigible that was once the “Good Ship Biden” starts to founder and slide towards the ground. Wait, I think I catch a glimpse of some flame in the upper body of the ship. God knows how quickly the ship may be consumed. The question really is, if the ship crashes and burns, will the media really cover the story or was it just a messy training mishap?
Rules of Radicals:
“Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
Democrats won’t have the opportunity to mug in front of the cameras during a closed-door hearing. They’ll have to wait to do that afterwards as they continue to gaslight the public into believing in an alternate reality.
Raskin lives in Wonderland, so extreme hypocrisy is Ok.
Ask him he has an excuse handy.
I’m sure one shiffty little person will give a blow by blow account of the “close door” hearing, while in session.
Dear Prof Turley,
Two wrongs do not make it right and one should always strike ‘while the iron is hot’. There is no reason I can see not to accept Abbe Lowell’s gracious invitation for Hunter Biden to voluntarily, nay ‘happily’, appear at a public hearing before the 13th day of December.
*at this point, any embarrassing ‘confidential’ or ‘classified’ material that may arise during a public hearing is a risk I’m willing to accept.
The democrat communists are all hypocrites and liars.
Mr. Turley; are you atempting to apply logic to the swamp filled with pathological liars? What a waste of time. I would rather know why FOX news continues to refer to Mr. Levine as a she. Talk about hypocrisy..
“Some vast unproven…conspiracy”? You mean like how Donald Trump won in 2016 because of “Russian collusion”? Oh, right: it was collusion, not conspiracy.
Huh?
Did the Mueller Report mean anything to you? The Russian government’s attempts to influence the elections were largely bots posting online, and recall that when under oath, a lot of those claiming collusion said they had no evidence.
The Democrats’ biggest problem with Hunter testifying in a closed meeting is that makes it more difficult for them to grandstand and obfuscate the issues as they did, for example, when Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger testified before the Weaponization subcommittee.
Goose, meet gander.
Brilliant post. All I can say about this one is thank you for writing it. Looking forward to the book. 😊
Res ipsa loquitur. Most commenters must have the obvious reinforced daily or their attention drifts to Taylor Swift.
“Anonymous”, why not just stop coming to the site you hate? It is very odd that you have this insane need to attend a club where everyone disagrees with you, everyone dislikes you and after reading your first sentence everyone ignores you. You are a weirdo. No please go away and leave the adults to partake in adult conversations.
HullBobby,
Well said.
Your daily (hourly, often) obvious deflections and obfuscations reinforce in me the overwhelming narcissism inherent in those addled by lefty groupthink.