Editore"s Note
Tilting at Windmills

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January 31, 2011

ISSA'S OVERREACH ALREADY UNDERWAY.... The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission was tasked with an unpleasant job: identify and explain the events that caused the global economic crash in 2008. Last week, the panel largely wrapped up its work, and blamed ... just about everyone.

Wall Street banks and their widespread mismanagement shared responsibility in the final report with law federal regulators, credit rating agencies, the Clinton and Bush administrations, the Federal Reserve, and a motley crew of thousands.

But Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the grand inquisitor chairman of the House oversight committee, has a few questions of his own. The conservative Republican has decided the investigation needs an investigation, and according to the Financial Times, has demanded that the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission turn over its emails and related records to the committee for review.

Keep in mind, there have been no accusations of wrongdoing on the part of the commission; Issa says he just wants to look around and see what, if anything, he can turn up.

Paul Krugman explained the motivations behind a move like this one.

[W]hat this is really about is intimidation -- in much the same way that investigations of climate scientists are about intimidation.

What the GOP wants is to make people afraid even to do research that produces conclusions they don't like. And they don't stop at trying to undermine the research -- they go after the researchers personally. The goal is to create an environment in which analysts and academics are afraid to look into things like financial-industry malfeasance or climate change, for fear that some subcommittee will either dig up or invent dirt about their private lives.

McCarthy had nothing on these guys.

This is, by the way, the same Issa who, just three weeks on the job, announced that he wants his committee to have a running list of everyone who files Freedom of Information Act requests. If this makes you uncomfortable, you're not alone -- it "just seems sort of creepy that one person in the government could track who is looking into what and what kinds of questions they are asking," said David Cuillier, a University of Arizona journalism professor and chairman of the Freedom of Information Committee at the Society of Professional Journalists. "It is an easy way to target people who he might think are up to no good."

And for good measure, let's also note that Issa last week compared his GOP predecessor -- the melon-shooting Dan Burton of Indiana -- to Abraham Lincoln.

It's going to be a long two years.

Steve Benen 12:40 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (27)

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Comments

Intimidation is one part of the 'investigate EVERYTHING' strategy.

The other part is wasting time. Constantly flooding government agencies with Requests for Information. Pulling key people in to testify every few weeks (Which means not only the days in front of the committee but the days wasted prepping for the grillings). And the more obscure and meaningless the targets the better.

It generates frustration, delays projects, slows down implementation of new laws (Healthcare, Financial reform etc).

For a party that likes to complain about 'government inefficiency' the Republicans are responsible for quite a lot of that inefficiency.

Posted by: thorin-1 on January 31, 2011 at 12:49 PM | PERMALINK

Let the games begin.

Posted by: ronbyers on January 31, 2011 at 12:52 PM | PERMALINK

Issa wants the names of all who file FOIA requests?
Now's the time to think of some reason to file one and just flood the gov't with requests. That should keep Issa's staff busy enough to annoy him mightily.

Posted by: maxcat07 on January 31, 2011 at 12:53 PM | PERMALINK

Republicans want to save money - replace investigation/retaliation/intimidation happy (at taxpayers expense) Issa.

Everyone knows pretty much everyone has a hand in that disaster - why is that controversial enough for Issa to investigate the investigative committee? This dude needs a hobby that he can't expense out at the taxpayers expense.

Posted by: ET on January 31, 2011 at 12:54 PM | PERMALINK

How about an ongoing investigation of Darrel Issa, car thief, insurance fraudster, serial liar, etc., etc. Now that's a target-rich environment.

Posted by: Roger the Cabin Boy on January 31, 2011 at 12:55 PM | PERMALINK

What could Issa possibly do with the names of everyone who makes a FOIA request?

Posted by: Ron Byers on January 31, 2011 at 1:17 PM | PERMALINK

Darryl Issa is the perfect example that the Republican position of denying the right to immigrate and citizenship to people from the middle east is a good idea. Had that policy been in place when his parents came over, we wouldn't have this slimy little "rug merchant" to put up with.

Posted by: TCinLA on January 31, 2011 at 1:17 PM | PERMALINK

A liberal is just a moderate who has been mugged by the Republican party.

This might be the best thing ever to happen to Barack Obama.

Posted by: square1 on January 31, 2011 at 1:22 PM | PERMALINK

BTW, the intimidation thing can work in two directions.

If the shoe were on the other foot, the GOP would take millions of dollars and make sure that Issa's equivalent never got re-elected in 2012.

Oh, wait. The shoe was on the other foot and now Alan Grayson is gone.

Posted by: square1 on January 31, 2011 at 1:33 PM | PERMALINK

The Bushies pointed the way here. The Commission should just stonewall the subpoenas. When Issa refers it to the US Attorney for enforcement, take it under advisement, study it, research separation of powers and next thing you know we will be at another House election.

Really.

Posted by: Mimikatz on January 31, 2011 at 1:40 PM | PERMALINK

Tow-bit McCarthy wannabe. Somehow, he is already too much of a joke to be as terrifying as the real McCarthy was.

Posted by: jjm on January 31, 2011 at 1:41 PM | PERMALINK

Committee to Issa: "What emails? There are no emails. Oh, and the hard copies? The dog ate them. . ."

Then DARE him to hold them in contempt!

Posted by: DAY on January 31, 2011 at 1:42 PM | PERMALINK

I would send the FOIA requests directly to Issa's office, or at least a copy, if it pertained to something one really wanted investigated (like Issa?).

Posted by: maxcat07 on January 31, 2011 at 1:45 PM | PERMALINK

From the desk of Darrel Issa:

On what possible basis could you believe that I would want to intimidate anyone?

That I want all of the emails, records, internal discussions, and thought wave patterns of the corrupt democrat members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission is only to be able to give assurances to the American Public that they were thorough. It has nothing to do with the fact that they criticized a number of my corporate contributors.

That I want to know everyone who makes an FOI Request has nothing to do with intimidation. It is to make sure that the corrupt Obama administration is not stonewalling us in our effort to protect the American public.

If you believe that I would ever misuse my position to intimidate anyone who is my enemy; you probably also believe that the Total Information Awareness Program is still in existence. Obviously, you must also be a 9/11 truther.

As for those who keep referring to my youth and call me a car thief, I was NOT a car thief. I was engaged in a training program to best understand how to make and market anti-theft devices for cars so that I could become a billionare.

Lastly, if the idiot people of California had selected me instead of the Austrian steroid abuser for governor when I funded the recall of Gray Davis, I would be in Ca. and not D.C.!

Posted by: DaringIssa on January 31, 2011 at 1:59 PM | PERMALINK

I hope Issa's district becomes a swing district after the next redistricting scheme.

Posted by: wilder on January 31, 2011 at 2:20 PM | PERMALINK

Thanks, "Darrell"...that was the biggest laugh I've had today.

Posted by: maxcat07 on January 31, 2011 at 2:21 PM | PERMALINK

If the Dems would have done their jobs with investigations half the Republican party and 80% of the Bush admin would be locked up already.

How many Bush admin officials have they let off the hook or refuse to prosecute for their crimes.

Posted by: sensistar on January 31, 2011 at 2:27 PM | PERMALINK

I imagine Cummings' staff would be pretty interested in the emails to and from the Republican members of the commission as much as Issa is interested in the Democrats' emails and records. I say let the chips fall where they may.

Posted by: Th on January 31, 2011 at 2:27 PM | PERMALINK

While not being a defender of Darrell Issa in any way, shape, or form, shouldn't the records of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission or any other commission, for that matter, be available to the public? Isn't that what openness in government is supposed to be about?

Just sayin'.

Posted by: Steve on January 31, 2011 at 2:27 PM | PERMALINK

The reference to Dan Burton at the end was appropriate. In the 1990s, when Burton had this committee, he demanded e-mails from DHHS employees who were engaged in trying to stop massive Medicare fraud by the home health industry. His legacy is safe with Issa, who appears even more tyrannical. Tort lawyers are going to love this guy.

Posted by: max on January 31, 2011 at 2:35 PM | PERMALINK

Issa's efforts to investigate the Commission are a waste of time/taxpayer money and will ultimately do nothing more than damage his credibility and divert his committee from other efforts. This was an independent Commission; who cares how they came to their views, since very few are paying attention to them anyway.

Is efforts to collect names of those making FOIA requests is much more troubling. I'm not generally one for conspiracy theories, but just this morning, in addition to this, I read that House Republicans want legislation requiring Internet companies to keep track of IP addresses, and that some Republican commentators argue that protests taking place outside the Koch Brothers' rightwing gathering are an attack on the attendees' first amendment free assembly rights.

One could read all of these together as different threads of an effort by the right to suppress opposition to conservative policies. If one were paranoid....

Posted by: DRF on January 31, 2011 at 3:02 PM | PERMALINK

@Roger the Cabin Boy: I am all for turning the tables on this Congressperson. Open all the documents and let the chips fall where they may, as another poster said. Transparency and light are the greatest disinfectants. Wikileak all over government and private enterprise. Egypt is showing us the way.

Posted by: st john on January 31, 2011 at 3:15 PM | PERMALINK

Wilder, that would be poetic justice, and it COULD happen. What a lovely thought.

Posted by: maxcat07 on January 31, 2011 at 3:36 PM | PERMALINK

For a long time I've been saying that Amerika is in the midst of a nazi style takeover by the Right. Now, in view of Darrell Issa, it's much more like Stalin. Issa is acting like a true commie with this commission. And lest we not forgot, despite the fact that Issa means Jesus in Arabic, Darrell Issa is not the son of God.

Posted by: Willi on January 31, 2011 at 3:48 PM | PERMALINK

Issa is a punk, a petty car thief and arsonist. Read the New Yorker article. The hope here is that the Commission stonewalls him and his committee. He needs to be called on this.

Posted by: Rasputin22 on January 31, 2011 at 4:09 PM | PERMALINK

Um, i don't care if it is a Republican, like Issa, or a Democrat like Kucinich, i see nothing wrong with checking on the details of committee reports. Maybe, if someone had done that with the Warren Report immediately after the JFK assassination, "we the people" might know the truth by now.

Posted by: bob orlando on January 31, 2011 at 7:23 PM | PERMALINK

Someone should deluge the House oversight committee with FOIA requests...about Rep. Issa. Hundreds of FOIA requests. Thousands of FOIA requests.

Posted by: The Oracle on January 31, 2011 at 9:13 PM | PERMALINK
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