The GOP's Plan To Investigate A "Weaponized" Government

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

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🗓️ 13 January 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

House GOP members launched a new committee this week to investigate the “weaponization” of the U.S. government.

These lawmakers claim federal law enforcement and national security agencies have targeted and silenced conservatives. The committee headed by far-right congressman Jim Jordan has been granted vast authority to collect information in an attempt to prove it.

Some legal experts say this sets up the potential for a major clash between the legislative and executive branches of government, particularly when it comes to active investigations into Trump and the involvement of other lawmakers on January 6th.

Mary McCord is executive director at Georgetown Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. She is also a Department of Justice veteran, who rose to the role of Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security in 2016. She joined Diane to explain the goals of the committee and why she thinks it could embolden far-right extremism.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for WA MU comes from American University, where students have access to exceptional
0:05.3	learning that enriches their education, with 90% completing at least one internship before
0:10.2	graduation.
0:11.2	More at american.edu slash challenge accepted.
0:15.0	Hi, it's Diane.
0:22.2	On my mind, the weaponization of government.
0:26.5	What a new committee created by a House GOP member says it's going to investigate.
0:34.0	They charge federal law enforcement and national security agencies have engaged in an effort
0:41.6	to target and silence, conservative it.
0:46.2	Mary McCord is executive director at Georgetown's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and
0:55.3	Protection.
0:56.3	She's also a veteran at the Department of Justice, rising to acting assistant attorney
1:03.5	general for national security in 2016.
1:08.2	She joined me Thursday to explain the goals of the committee and how its creation could
1:15.8	be seen as a signal to extremism.
1:20.4	Mary, this week the House GOP created a committee to explore the quote weaponization of the government.
1:31.6	Can you explain what that means?
1:34.2	Well, I think in some ways that remains to be seen.
1:38.3	We had lots of comments from different members of Congress before the House passed the resolution
1:44.3	that suggested that it was going to examine the Department of Justice, the FBI, you know,
1:50.1	actually their investigations into the January 6th insurrection, their investigation into
1:56.1	Mar-a-Lago investigations that are clearly predicated by probable cause of criminal activity.
	...

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