Posted on 03/18/2021 9:18:50 AM PDT by Red Badger
The witness sent the subcommittee a draft of her remarks after a congressional staffer sent her the messaging that Democrats wanted in correspondence that provides a window into congressional stage management.
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Awitness at a virtual forum hosted last year by a U.S. House subcommittee was given talking points in advance by majority Democrats, according to correspondence obtained by Just the News that provides a rare window into how Congress stage manages its proceedings behind the scenes.
The correspondence was obtained under New Mexico open records laws and involved an event arranged by then-Rep. Deb Haaland, the New Mexico Democrat who is now President Biden's Interior Secretary. It is prompting a debate among some experts about whether the talking points amounted to influencing a witness or simply informing the attendee about what lawmakers wanted addressed.
The memos show that Haaland, while serving as chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, invited New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy to be a panelist at a forum entitled "When Disasters Collide: Examining Coronavirus Impacts on Wildland Fire Operations and Vulnerable Communities."
McCarthy was given the subcommittee's "top-line messages for the forum." The subcommittee sent her information to join a "preparatory call" prior to the panel, "to give you a better sense of how the Forum will run and to address any logistical issues or questions."
File Haaland_staff_email_2.pdf McCarthy responded to the email invite, "I have my remarks written out and timed for 5 minutes. Do you want to see them beforehand?"
The "top-line messages for the forum" were:
"The coronavirus pandemic has spotlighted many existing inequalities in our society and an active wildfire year further threatens emergency personnel, vulnerable populations, and at-risk communities.
Congress will continue to provide funding and other resources to ensure the safety of federal, state, and local fire-fighters and to provide for the protection of at-risk communities and vulnerable populations.
As approximately 90 percent of wildfires are human caused, it is especially important that individuals take responsibility for their role in preventing and preparing for wildfire this year, including respecting land closures, burn bans, and best practices for home resiliency.
Similar to how Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for wearing masks are intended to prevent the spread of a virus, individual actions to prepare for wildfire will help protect individuals as well as their neighbors.
There are many online resources to help understand and reduce risk to wildfire. The new website wildfirerisk.org was created in response to a provision signed into law as part of the FY18 Omnibus and it provides a one-stop shop to access individual and community wildfire resources."
The draft that McCarthy sent the subcommittee included remarks on "human-caused fires," how the coronavirus impacted the firefighters, and the need for financial support from Congress.
File NM_state_forester_draft_remarks_House_subcommittee_forum_June10.2020_V4.pdf David Bossie, president of the conservative watchdog group Citizens United and former chief investigator for the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee back in the 1990s when Republicans controlled the House, expressed concern about the talking points.
"It seems highly inappropriate for a committee to invite a witness to testify, then provide answers to the witness. It is not to be done and should never be done again," Bossie said.
Professor James Thurber, founder and former director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, said he was not that concerned.
"It is often done to make sure witnesses focus on the topic of a hearing. It does not mean the committee staff are directing witnesses to make certain conclusions," Thurber told Just the News.
Committee officials did not return a call Wednesday seeking on-the-record comment.
NOTHING IN DC IS REAL............................
“EVERYTHING THE DEMS DO IS A FAKE, STAGE-MANAGED DOG-AND-PONY SHOW FOR THEIR STUPID BRAIN-DEAD BASE.
NOTHING IN DC IS REAL............................”
With the fence around the Capitol, we should start calling the White House the Reichstag.
I TOTALLY AGREE! Hopefully some of this is getting out to those brain-dead voters, aka, Demonrats and some just might see that this party has continued to use weak minded, fatally ignorant people of all colors to do their dasteredly deeds. The Demoncrats are evil and need to be destroyed!! Aside of who I just mentioned the Republicans might find the guts to stand up to them like Chip Roy did and the disgusting Gerry Connoly dressing him down with fake offense to try and make Roy look like a petulant child and as Roy was leaving the hearing some broad from the Demon side displayed her playground mentality by saying Rep. Roy was taking his ball and going home. THESE PEOPLE ARE IN CHARGE!!.........just damn!!!!!
“Comrade, here is what you shall say.”
The left no longer even care about. Being exposed for thi gs like this. The masks are off, they no longer even try to hide their cri inal activities or incompetence and lying. They know that the msm will never old them accountable for anything, and will infsct actively protect them every step of the way.
They are now engaged In an all out assault on our country. They are engaged in a hostile takeover and remake of this country with the full blessing s of even the Supreme Court.
They are acting as though they believe that they will NEVER be a ‘minority party’ again, in the House or Senate. Thus the reason they want to get rid of the filibuster rule. They believe that they will never have the need for it................ever...............
Yup exactly. This was a ck certed effort at a hostile takeover. They couldn’t and can’t win .egitimately and they know it, so they are stealing everything. They own or run Or rule everything now practically
They rule the msm, much of the lower courts, the Supreme Court now, big tech, social media, blm, antifa, on and on it goes. They can’t stand the conservatives owning and running anything, which is why this whole cancel culture.
They are blatantly punishing everyone that had anything to do with Trump. Anyone who was even near the Capitol. Anyone who worked for trump (Flynn, they are going after again, and now trying to redo the farce of Russian collusion trial. They incessantly try to punish everyone who is a conservative, it just never ends with them. They won’t be happy till they choke the life out of the conservative movement
This whole lousy thing is a coordinated hostile takeover of our nation by force. They are going to punish all the “uppity conservatives” who try to make right by peacefully protesting.
and illegal/un-Constitutional
I’m picturing Stalin’s Purge, where some of the signed confession statements also had blood drops on them. Pay no attention comrade.
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