Hypocrisy Rules in the Republican Congress
In case there was any question about the intent of the Republican Party, or the type of governance we can expect from them.
“Treasury nominee Steven Mnuchin told senators in his confirmation hearing that his bank, OneWest, did not use robo-signing, let alone use it to foreclose on massive numbers of mortgages. That was not true. The bank robo-signed hundreds and hundreds of foreclosures, including wrongful cases that were eventually reversed in court, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The bank’s robo-signing was widely reported and the subject of court actions and depositions. Even years after signing a consent decree with federal regulators, there appear to have been continued problems, according to a memo leaked from the California attorney general’s office.
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who invested in companies that stood to benefit from his legislation, told senators on two committees considering his HHS nomination that he did not get any sweetheart deals when he invested between $50,000 and $100,000 in the Australian firm Innate Immunotherapeutics. Asked if he got a lower rate than what was available to the public, he told Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) the rates “were available to every single individual that was an investor at the time.” He told Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), “It was the same price that everybody paid for the private placement offering.” Both statements are not true, The Wall Street Journal reported, noting that Price got a discount that was available to only 16 people in the United States.
He also appears to have at least omitted his ability to buy and sell his own stocks when he said all but the Innate shares were bought and sold by independent financial advisers.
It’s not that there is no outrage over the statements. Democrats have hollered plenty. The minority members of the Senate Finance Committee boycotted votes for Mnuchin and Price on Tuesday. That delayed them one day, until committee chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) took a step that he called unprecedented and suspended the rules to advance the pair of nominees with no Democrats in attendance.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Hatch was especially dismissive of the worries over the nominees’ truthfulness. He called the case against Price “bush-league crap” and massively understated the money involved, saying it was a few hundred dollars.”*
Clearly the outrage of lying to Congress doesn’t matter unless Republicans are complaining about a Democratic nominee or a Democratic President. This is hypocrisy of the highest order.
Since the start of the Bush administration in 2000 the Republican Party has consistently moved further from the role of governing for the people and more into political posturing for advantage. These nominees LIED during their nomination hearings. That clearly reflects on their character. Not choosing to explore it further reflects on the character of Orrin Hatch and the Republican Party.
Be vigilant but don’t buy their propaganda. Pay Attention. Be Informed. Speak up, Speak Out.
*Note: Huffington Post Article, “2 Nominees Who Misled Congress Are On The Verge Of Being Confirmed” by Michael McAuliff and Laura Barron-Lopez (www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/two-nominees-who-said-false-things-to-congress-are-on-the-verge-of-being-confirmed_us_5893da08e4b09bd304ba9602?)
