Daniel Goldman hasn’t had the best start to his career in Washington politics. The lawyer who infamously led Nancy Pelosi’s first impeachment sham against Donald Trump has taken his fair share of lumps, and he got some new ones on Monday.
While participating in a field hearing on violent crime in DA Alvin Bragg’s district, Goldman decided to call the entire effort a “charade” while addressing one of the witnesses. That’s when Madeline Brame, whose son was murdered in New York City, took him to the cleaners.
GOLDMAN: Your experiences are devastating, but the problem is that this is a charade to cover up for an abuse of power that they are going around, talking incessantly outside of this hearing about Donald Trump, and the purpose of this hearing is to cover up for what they know to be an inappropriate investigation.
Now, I look forward, many of you, uh…
BRAME: Can I respond to you, please?
GOLDMAN: Not right now because I only have 20 seconds…
BRAME: Don’t insult my intelligence
(Jim Jordan tries to bring order)
BRAME: You’re trying to insult me like I’m not aware of what’s going on here
(Crosstalk)
BRAME: I’m fully aware of what’s going on here. That’s I walked away from the plantation of the Democratic Party.
The smugness of Goldman just jumps off the screen as you watch that clip. This is a guy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He’s had everything handed him. He’s never had to deal with violent criminals or the repercussions they have on lower and middle-class neighborhoods. Goldman’s entire life has been spent in gated communities and prestigious institutions.
That’s fine, but he should probably check himself when he’s facing a woman who had her son murdered due to the soft-on-crime approach Democrats have chosen to take in cities across the country. Just a touch of humility would go a long way in that situation.
Is he right that this hearing was predicated on Bragg’s ridiculous prosecution of Donald Trump? Sure, but everything has a catalyst. Does that make Brame’s son any less dead? Does it make her anger at New York City officials who refuse to enforce the law any less justified? Of course, not. It does not matter what predicated the field hearing. What matters is the substance contained within it.
Hank Johnson tried to play the same game Goldman did, calling the witnesses at the hearing “props.”
I can’t imagine sitting there in that hearing, having lost a loved one to violent crime, and then having to listen to a pompous imbecile like Johnson levy insults. You may recall that Johnson is the guy who suggested that the Island of Guam would tip over because too many people were living on it. Yes, he actually said that, and he was dead serious.
Regardless, these witnesses are not props, and the hearing is not a charade. It is a necessary exposition of terrible policies that are causing harm to millions of Americans. Democrats don’t want to face that because they know their party is responsible. Republicans are doing the right thing by forcing this stuff to the forefront, and the more viral clips get produced, the better.