Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:48 pm
GOP Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, leader of the House Freedom Caucus, wrote a secret document with his plans to fight back next year against Democratic-led investigations of President Donald Trump.
The 28-page document was obtained by Bloomberg News and was watermarked “confidential” on every page.
Meadows will be the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee in January.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
In his memo, Meadows explained how Republicans can paint Democrats as pursuing costly partisan investigations while not passing major legislation which the American people want.
“We will need a larger team of experienced investigators who will be able to handle the heavy volume and intellectual challenges presented by the Democrats’ attacks,” Meadows wrote in the memo. He also said that Republicans must have a consistent line of attack, adding:
“Americans want their Congress to get things done and focus on their agenda — not on endless, frivolous, and partisan investigations.”
Meadows also said that as the GOP’s ranking member on the committee, he would raise concerns that “the Democrats are interfering too much with presidential duties and have encroached too far on the fundamental powers of the executive branch.â€
Republicans, he noted, “should be encouraging less-severe means of conducting investigations targeting the Trump administration, like briefings, bipartisan letters, etc.â€
Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, the current chairman of the oversight committee, is supportive of what Meadows wrote, according to Bloomberg. Both Meadows and Gowdy and see their committee as a tool they can use to help Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives in the 2020 elections.
“I believe I can position the committee as an effective platform to win back the House,” Meadows wrote, according to Bloomberg. “I’m confident that with the right team and member engagement, our conference will be able to tactically play the Democrats’ politicized activities to our advantage.”
Starting in January, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will have a new chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. Cummings has said he will use his new position to provide real oversight of the Trump administration, which Republicans have not done.
Nancy Pelosi, Elijah Cummings, and other Democratic House leaders no doubt enjoyed reading about the GOP plan to counter their upcoming investigations into Donald Trump and his administration. They are probably also laughing about it, because it is nothing more than a lame, pathetic attempt by Republicans to be relevant next year after they lose power.
Democrats in the house will be holding hearings, but they will also pass legislation that the American people really want. And the American people will know that if the bills the House passes do not become law, it is because of the failures of the Republican-led U.S. Senate and of President Donald Trump.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
