On Friday, a jury shocked the nation by acquitting two of the men accused of trying “kidnap” and “kill” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer just prior to the 2020 election. The jury also hung regarding two of the other men charged, and at the moment, it seems unlikely the DOJ will try its luck again (especially given there was even more exculpatory evidence that may be allowed in a new trial).
It was a heart-warming moment, not because the men on trial were saints, but because they were obviously vulnerable, impressionable people instigated and groomed by the FBI to be part of a plot that never would have existed without the government’s involvement. Despite proclamations from the smart set, the assertion that the defendants were entrapped was actually true.
Of course, the next part of this was always accountability. We’ve now seen multiple examples in the last several years of the FBI being used as a political tool, up to and including inventing crimes to push a narrative. In this instance, it was obvious to anyone thinking critically that the Whitmer “plot” was meant to produce bad headlines about “right-wing domestic terrorism” just prior to the 2020 election.
Now, the House GOP has responded with fire, claiming they won’t be letting this go.
With all due respect, I think most people reading this are going to respond to that threat with a hearty belly laugh, and why wouldn’t they? What part of the GOP’s history says that they have ever held anyone in the government accountable for anything?
I suppose that Devin Nunes did make headway in exposing the FISA abuse scandal surrounding Carter Page. But he did that without the broader support of the GOP and faced constant headwinds from his own side. Past that, was anyone punished? Did any of the committees with the power to do it ever call for the resignation of FBI Dir. Christopher Wray? By any real definition, there was no accountability in that situation, even with the evidence of misconduct being as stark as it was.
So what now? I think everyone knows the drill by now. The GOP will retake the House in November, retake the gavel in January, and then hold some hearings that lead to nothing. Meanwhile, the “too sophisticated to fight” Republicans on the Senate side of things will downplay the ordeal and refuse to even ask tough questions. Maybe they produce a sternly-worded letter or two.
In short, we’ve heard all this before. Republican voters are sick of their representatives over-promising and under-delivering. If the House GOP truly wants to hold people accountable, it’s going to take a scorched earth approach. That means not giving Wray the typical kid gloves treatment, subpoenaing agents involved in the Whitmer farce, and being willing to make criminal referrals. Make the Biden DOJ own its politicization and then use it against them in 2024. Until all that happens, it’s just fluff.