Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican select subcommittee to investigate deep state conspiracy theories.

If you had any doubt about what this committee is really about, about its true focus, my colleague from Montana just confirmed this is all about deep state nonsense.

Republicans claim, without merit, that this subcommittee will investigate the so-called weaponization of the Federal Government. What it is really intended to do is to undermine the legitimate investigation of President Trump's incitement of a violent attack on this building, on this Capitol, on this citadel of democracy, an investigation that implicates some of the very Members of this body who want to sit on that committee.

Make no mistake, this investigation, this investigate the investigators committee, will do deep damage to our national security and only breed distrust with our national security professionals, who will be reluctant to share with Congress the information policymakers need to protect our country.

The committee will also seek to discredit law enforcement like the FBI, who are so important in the fight against domestic violent extremism.

Republicans in Congress just don't care. The greatest terrorist threat to our country comes from violent, rightwing militia groups and their sympathizers, and Republicans in Congress just don't care.

The last time Republicans were in charge of the House, Kevin McCarthy pushed to form another bogus select committee, that one on Benghazi. He did so, as he admitted, to tear down Hillary Clinton's numbers, a patently political exercise.

Now, McCarthy is at it again, pushed into forming this bogus subcommittee by the QAnon members of his own Conference.

He sacrificed a lot in his bid for Speaker. That was his choice. Now, the American people are going to pay the price in the form of a body blow to our national security.

Vote ``no'' on this ill-considered measure. This is no Church Committee, not a bipartisan effort to reform government, but a partisan effort to tear it down, damn the consequences. Vote ``no.''

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