BaldBastard

Gerald Connolly basically summed it up:5:12

https://www.c-span.org/video/?455872...tion&start=299




I CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AGAIN IN THE NEW CONGRESS. UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU TODAY. YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE A FEW WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS ARE REGIFTING AN OLD TROPE THAT NEEDS DESPERATE REWORKING. THEY HAVE FOUND NOTHING. BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP THEM FROM TRYING TO DO IT AGAIN. AND OF COURSE MR. CUMMINGS AND I HAVE REPEATEDLY ARED -- REQUESTED THAT WE HAVE WITNESSES FROM THE TRUMP FOUNDATION AND FROM MR. WHITAKER'S FOUNDATION BEFORE US IF WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT NONPROFIT FOUNDATIONS. BUT LET'S ACTUALLY LOOK AT SOME THAT HAVE OUTSTANDING ALLEGATIONS, INCLUDING A PENDING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AGAINST THEM, UNLIKE THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION. SO LET'S LOOK AT THIS LATEST SO-CALLED SET OF ALLEGATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE CLINTON FOUNDATION. THIS NEXT PANEL HAS TWO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS, BOTH REPUBLICANS, WHO WILL EXPLAIN HOW THEY SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT TO THE I.R.S. AND THE F.B.I. AGAINST THE CLINTON FOUNDATION. THEY HAVE ALREADY CONCEDED THAT THEY ARE NOT WHISTLEBLOWERS. INSTEAD THEY ARE WOULD-BE PLAINTIFFS IN A LAWSUIT SEEKING TO MAKE MONEY. THAT'S NOT A WHISTLEBLOWER. THEY ALSO ADMIT THEY HAVE NO FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF ANY WRONGDOING. THEIR FIRST CLAIM IS THAT INTERNAL REPORTS ISSUED A DECADE AGO SUGGEST THAT THERE WERE MISMANAGEMENT CHALLENGES AT THE FOUNDATION. THESE INTERNAL REPORTS WERE ALREADY LEAKED BY WIKILEAKS LONG AGO. THE CLINTON FOUNDATION COMMISSIONED THESE REPORTS INTERNALLY, FOLLOW VARLE -- VOLUNTARILY, AND THEN MADE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FOLLOWINGS. THAT'SNEATH AR SCANDAL NOR NEW. NEXT, THEY CLAIM THERE WAS A PRID KYO PRO BETWEEN THE CLINTON FOUNDATION AND THEIR DONORS. THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS REPORT SAID. THEY SAID SOME EMPLOYEES RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT DONORS WHO, QUOTE, MAY HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF KID WITH PRO COULD HE BENEFITS IN RETURN -- KID WITH PRO COULD HE -- QUID PRO QUO BENEFITS IN RETURN FOR GIFTS. BUT THEY SAID SOME DONORS MIGHT HAVE HAD EXPECTATION, EVEN IF UNFULFILLED. NEVERTHELESS, THAT DOESN'T STOP SOME FROM TRYING TO SMEAR YET AGAIN THE CLINTON NAME. NEXT, THEY WILL REPORT AN -- ON A SECRET INTERVIEW THEY CONDUCTED WITH THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF THE FOUNDATION, ANDY KESSEL. DURING A BREAKFAST IN 2016. THEY CLAIM MR. KESSEL MADE STATEMENTS CRITICIZING PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND THE FOUNDATION. THEY CLAIM THAT MR. KESSEL STATED, AND I QUOTE, I KNOW WHERE ALL THE BODIES ARE BURIED, UNQUOTE. MY LORD. BUT MR. KESSEL DENIES SAYING THIS. AND ALL WE HAVE TO CONTRADICT HIM IS A ONE-PAGE SUMMARY SUBMITTED AS PART OF A COMPLAINT BY THESE REPUBLICAN LITIGANTS IN THE LAWSUIT. SO WHAT DID THE I.R.S. AND F.B.I. DO WITH THE COMPLAINT? THE I.R.S. REJECTED IT. ACCORDING TO THE TESTIMONY OF THESE TWO GENTLEMEN, THE I.R.S. SENT THEM A DENIAL LETTER. THEY SAID THAT THEY HAVE APPEALED. BUT THEY REFUSED TO GIVE US A COPPY OF THEIR ORIGINAL COMPLAINT OR THEIR APPEAL. HOW ABOUT THE F.B.I.? WELL, APPARENTLY THE F.B.I. INTERVIEWED THE CLINTON FOUNDATION'S C.F.O. LAST YEAR, BUT LIKE THE I.R.S., TOOK NO FURTHER ACTION THAT WE KNOW OF. THE CHAIRMAN INVITED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO BE HERE TODAY. THEY REFUSED TO COME. THE TRUMP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REFUSED TO SEND SOMEONE TO THIS HEARING. I WILL AGREE WITH THE CHAIRMAN, WHEN A REQUEST IS MADE BY THIS COMMITTEE, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE HONORED UNLESS THERE ARE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. BUT I SUSPECT ONE OF THE REASONS THEY'RE NOT HERE IS BECAUSE THERE'S NO THERE THERE AND THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO TESTIFY TO THAT FACT, GIVEN THE PILLARRING PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ENGAGED IN WITH RESPECT TO THE CLINTONS PERSONALLY. FINALLY, THERE'S ONE LAST ALLEGATION, MR. CHAIRMAN. TWO DAYS AGO JOHN SOLOMON WROTE AN OPINION PIECE IN "THE HILL." A NEWSPAPER HERE ON THE HILL, CLAIMING THAT THE CLINTON FOUNDATION SOMEHOW MISLED THE I.R.S. BASED ON STATE REGULATORY FILING ERRORS. THIS WAS REPORTED TWO YEARS AGO . ONE TAX EXPERT SUMMARIZED THE ALLEGATIONS THEN AS, QUOTE, MINOR INFRACTIONS EQUIVALENT TO REPORTING SOMEONE WHO WAS ISSUED A TRAFFIC TICKET FOR PARKING 15 INCHES FROM THE CURB INSTEAD OF THE STATUTORY 12. UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS PART OF A PATTERN. MY FRIENDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE HAVE BEEN MAKING UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS AGAINST THE FOUNDATION FOR YEARS. LAST YEAR REPUBLICANS IN THIS COMMITTEE LAUNCHED A JOINT INVESTIGATION WITH THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE WITH CLAIMS OF EXPLOSIVE NEW EVIDENCE FROM A CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT. WHO COULD DEMONSTRATE SECRETARY CLINTON ORCHESTRATED A QUID PRO QUO WITH ALL NINE AGENCIES OF THE AGENCY AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES TO APPROVE THE IRANIAN ONE DEAL, REMEMBER THAT ONE, AND CORRUPTLY DIRECT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE FOUNDATION IN RETURN. MY FRIENDS WITH HELD THEIR SECRET INFORMANT FROM US FOR MONTHS. BUT WHEN WE FINALLY GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW THAT INFORMANT, HIS CLAIMS FELL APART. AND FAILED TO PROVIDE ANY EVIDENCE FROM THE REPEATED AND BASELESS CLAIMS. BEFORE THIS HEARING I SENT A LETTER TO YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, ASKING IF YOU PLANNED ON INVITING THE CLINTON FOUNDATION TO ALSO INVITE THE TRUMP FOUNDATION AND THE FOUNDATION OPERATED BY ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL MATT WHITAKER. THERE HAVE BEEN SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST BOTH. INCLUDING A JUDICIAL RULING SAYING THAT A CASE AGAINST THE TRUMP FOUNDATION IN FACT CAN GO FORWARD. BUT UNFORTUNATELY THOSE REQUESTS HAVE FALLEN ON BOUND SOIL. JUST LAST MONTH A JUDGE RULED IN NEW YORK STATE THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL COULD PROCEED WITH ITS SUIT AGAINST THE TRUMP FOUNDATION FOR SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS OF, AND QUOTE THE JUDGE, NOT AN INFORMANT, FAILURE TO OPERATE MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH CORPORATE AND STATUTORY RULES AND THE FIDUCIARY OBLIGATIONS RESULTING IN MISUSE OF CHARITABLE ASSETS. THEN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTED THAT ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL WHITAKER'S FORMER ORGANIZATION PAID MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION IN DARK MONEY FROM UNANIMOUS CONSERVATIVE DONORS TO TARGET AND DEFEAT DEMOCRATS IN ELECTIONS. INSTEAD, WE HAVE OUR UMP TEENT HEARING IN THE LATEST CLINTON CONSPIRACY THEORY AND OF COURSE WE DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT THOSE CHARGES. MY FRIENDS, THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY JUSTIFIED THE MASSIVE INVESTIGATIONS, WILL YOU WILL -- YOU WILL RECALL, INTO HILLARY CLINTON BY TOUTING HIS PARTIES A EFFORTS TO BRING DOWN HER POLL NUMBERS. THAT WAS THE MOTIVATION. THEY HAD EIGHT COMMITTEES, INCLUDING THIS ONE, AND A SELECT COMMITTEE SQUANDER MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND FOUND VERY LITTLE. YET NOW THE DEMOCRATS ARE ABOUT TO GAIN CONTROL AND MR. MCCARTHY NOW SAYS WE SHOULD NOT INVESTIGATE PRESIDENT TRUMP, THAT AGENDA, HE SAYS, WOULD BE TOO SMALL. THAT WOULD -- WE SHOULD FOCUS ON OTHER PROBLEMS LIKE PERHAPS ONCE AGAIN THE CLINTONS. THE TRUTH IS THERE ARE VERY SERIOUS ISSUES WE OUGHT TO BE INVESTIGATING INSTEAD OF THIS ONE. CHAIRMANNED ME O'S --ED ME OSAKA AND RANKING MEMBER -- CHAIRMAN MEADOWS AND RANKING MEMBER CUMMINGS SENT A LETTER TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ABOUT SEPARATING CHILDREN AT THE BORDER AND I APPLAUD YOU FOR THAT AND I SUPPORTED THAT EFFORT. WE DID NOT GET A SINGLE DOCUMENT, WE WERE COMPLETELY STYMIED. AND DESPITE OUR REQUEST, NO SUBPOENAS WERE ISSUED AND NO HEARINGS HELD. OF COURSE IT'S THE PREROGATIVE OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FULL COMMITTEE, HE'S CHOSEN TO CALL THIS ONE. UNFORTUNATELY I TRUST AND I I THINK FOR MOST PEOPLE IT LOOKS LIKE A LAST GASP AT PARTISANSHIP. I THANK THE CHAIR.