1/ House Republicans approved the formation of the Weaponization of the Federal Government select committee to investigate any federal agency for perceived wrongdoing against conservatives, including the FBI, IRS, and the intelligence community. The subcommittee, approved on a party-line 221-211 vote and chaired by Jim Jordan, pledged to probe “ongoing criminal investigations” at the Justice Department despite the department’s long-standing practice of not providing information about ongoing investigations. The panel also has authority to obtain highly classified information typically only shared with the House Intelligence Committee. Democrats, meanwhile, likened the panel to Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee, which harassed Americans suspected of being sympathetic to communism or socialist, saying: “This committee is nothing more than a deranged ploy by the MAGA extremists who have hijacked the Republican Party and now want to use taxpayer money to push their far-right conspiracy nonsense.” (Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / ABC News)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2023/01/11/day-722/