During a hearing this week of a subcommittee of the House Judiciary panel, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who is the top Democrat on that subcommittee, helped provide a platform for the witnesses who were present to explain the reality of the extensive compliance seen from federal departments with Congressional pushes for information.
The point of the hearing in which Swalwell was participating was to examine that topic, meaning federal compliance — or a lack thereof — with various Congressional investigations. At present, Republicans have been at least seeking to use their slim majority control of the House to their general political advantage, kickstarting proceedings related to everything from the so-called weaponization of the federal government to Twitter and the global COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, from which witnesses were appearing before that Judiciary subcommittee on Thursday, overtures to Congress have actually been extensive, no matter any Republican narrative that alleges there’s been stonewalling. Discussing the end of Title 42 restrictions on border crossings, Homeland Security official Zephranie Buetow explained: “If we take the Office of Legislative Affairs, for example, we conducted over 40 member-level engagements, staff briefings, engagement with stakeholders, and so, I would say that it was all hands on deck.”
Swalwell got Carlos Uriarte, who occupies a position similar to Buetow’s at the Justice Department, to similarly acknowledge that the Justice Department has seemingly been completely consistent in actually responding to recent letters from Judiciary Committee members.
“There’s always a human cost when individuals are encouraged to behave poorly or believe mistruths,” Buetow said, after Swalwell asked about impacts of deception like lies that have been spread about past Department of Homeland Security staff member Nina Jankowicz. Jankowicz was the subject of extensive lies from Republicans about the nature of her planned work to help address what is known as disinformation. She in reality would have exerted no direct authority over Americans. Check out Swalwell’s questioning below:
