Ron Johnson says committee Republicans blocking Comey, Brennan subpoenas

[fleur-de-lisa]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/12/ron-johnson-gop-blocking-comey-subpoena-394256

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Ron Johnson blamed fellow Republicans on his committee Wednesday for blocking him from subpoenaing former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan and other figures involved in the investigation of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and its contacts with Russia.

"We had a number of my committee members that were highly concerned about how this looks politically," the Wisconsin GOP senator told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who pressed Johnson to identify Republicans standing in the way of a wave of high-profile subpoenas.

Johnson emphasized that he needs the unanimous support of his committee's eight Republicans to advance any subpoenas — one defection would likely result in a 7-7 deadlock with the committee's six Democrats. "If I lose one, I lose the vote," Johnson said. Hewitt repeatedly asked Johnson to name the Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security Committee who would oppose subpoenaing Comey.

"Hugh, I'm just not going to be naming names that way," Johnson replied. "If there's a senator who is blocking a subpoena, we need to know who that is so we throw them out," Hewitt said later.

[LakeArenal]

1. Haha Ronnie. You are losing your grip.

[dem4decades]

2. Some Republicans must know the Russia shit will eventually be known by the public.

[pwb]

3. Johnson got caught with Russian propaganda.

Thats all, he got caught using lies.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

4. maybe they aren't traitors doing Russia's dirty work, Ron!!

[Iliyah]

5. Russia propaganda . ..

[malaise]

6. Come on ReTHUGs

let's have a feeding frenzy

[Botany]

7. Johnson is a "Moscow Mule."

July 6, 2018 at 2:45 p.m. EDT Dana Milbank

“What does July 4th mean to me? Freedom,” Sen. Ron Johnson chirruped on Twitter on Independence Day.

For the Wisconsin Republican, it meant, specifically, the freedom to spend July 4 in Moscow with seven other Republican lawmakers posing for propaganda photos with Russian officials. On the same day it was reported in Britain that two more people had been poisoned by a Russian nerve agent British officials say came from Vladimir Putin’s regime. On the day after the Senate Intelligence Committee affirmed the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia interfered in the election to help Donald Trump.

snip

So, what do we call these Red Square Republicans? My interlocutors on Twitter suggest “Moscow Mules.” Or, given the position they put themselves in before our masters in Moscow, perhaps they should be called the Prostrate Eight: Sens. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.), Steve Daines (Mont.), John Hoeven (N.D.), John Neely Kennedy (La.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), John Thune (S.D.) and Johnson, plus Rep. Kay Granger (Tex.).


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eight-republicans-spent-july-4-in-russia-where-are-the-fireworks/2018/07/06/beae30be-812e-11e8-b658-4f4d2a1aeef1_story.html

[NCjack]

15. I like "Moscow Mule".

At least one GOP senator is saving Johnson from making a "Moscow Mule's ass" of himself.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. Good

I guess some Republicans just don't want to go there, either because they know there's nothing there- or think (or know) that it's going to spectacularly backfire to have people like Comey sitting in the room explaining why Trump was being investigated and how he reacted to the investigation.

[oasis]

9. Hewitt's MSNBC "host" gig lasted about 10 minutes. Soulless hack.

[genxlib]

10. This implies

That some Republican is doing the right thing by blocking a grandstanding witch hunt during an election.

Call me cynical but it might be simpler than that. Maybe they are realistic enough to know that Comey and Brennan might actually have information to deliver that is damaging for Republicans.

[gratuitous]

12. That was where I went

And Ron Johnson isn't quite bright enough to know it. I guess Johnson figures that if calls them as witnesses, Comey and Brennan would automatically testify favorably.

[crickets]

16. +1

Either way, the snipe hunt isn't working out well for them.

[cilla4progress]

11. FIZZLE

PFFFTTTTT............

[JI7]

13. Because they know it will make Republicans look stupid

[Stallion]

14. List of Committee Members-Mitt Romney is Likely One Vote

Portman could be another

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/about

[riversedge]

17. ...***....But Johnson did not mention that.Johnson was given blanket authority to subpoena in June..

........But Johnson did not mention that Comey, Brennan and other senior Obama administration intelligence community leaders were included in a list of officials that Johnson was given blanket authority to subpoena in June. Asked about the discrepancy, committee officials acknowledged that no committee Republicans are blocking Johnson from issuing subpoenas, attributing the exchange with Hewitt to a misunderstanding. Johnson, a spokesman said, "is committed to running a thorough investigation."

"Committee members want Chairman Johnson to attempt to get voluntary compliance, and also to be fully prepared for interviews by obtaining necessary documents, before compelling testimony," the spokesman said. "Chairman Johnson has been working for months to gather documents and information from witnesses on a voluntary basis, but will subpoena witnesses when necessary — and as he has mentioned, his patience is wearing thin.”

During his interview with Hewitt, Johnson mentioned that some of the figures Hewitt pressed him on were also under the jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is leading a parallel investigation into the Russia probe.