Latest Republican Sleaze

Congressional hearings are a mixed bag. 

Many are scornful at the "kabuki theater" (if that term is still P.C.) of some of them, including certain confirmation hearings. Hearings need not be useless. They in fact provide important functions, both investigatory and as a general means of engagement.

House Republicans have used various hearings in recent months for trollish reasons. Then, House Democrats challenge the witnesses and questioning, which is often shooting fish in a barrel since the whole thing is so absurd. Having the likes of Jim Jordan as chairs and Laura Boebert asking questions makes this even more of a clown show.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene is no longer barred from committees so is able to ignorantly take part. Her latest is flashing pornographic photographs from Hunter Biden's laptop.  Some excused her of "revenge porn." My immediate thought was that one way that a right to privacy was raised over the years was regarding the excesses of legislative hearings.

Justice Douglas in a footnote to his concurrence to Doe v. Bolton (the abortion case) cites some of the case law.  Various laws spoke of limits against "the invasion of the right of the citizen to protection in his private affairs against the unlimited scrutiny of investigation by a congressional committee."  Watkins v. U.S. is also a big case here, involving the excesses of the investigations during the Red Scare.  

The line drawing here can be hazy.  The Supreme Court in my view wrongly added another layer of protections for investigating presidents when deciding a case involving Trump. Nonetheless, the blatantly gratuitous flashing of sexual photos of President Biden's son here crosses the line.  It is not one that will be enforced in courts; limits are not only secured there.  Congress itself has a responsibility here.

The current control of the House of Representatives is in the hands of a party led now by Kevin McCarthy, who enables Taylor-Greene since she is willing to be his ally.  They are unfit leaders and it is oh so important that they do not retain power after the 2024 elections.  Or get in some other way.