On Monday, former White House counsel to Richard Nixon and CNN contributor, John Dean, testified before the House Judiciary Committee led by Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
Dean’s testimony kicks off what could be a dramatic week related to oversight of the Russia probe: While House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler announced plans Monday to hit pause on efforts to hold Attorney General Bill Barr in contempt over his refusal to turn over Russia probe-related documents, Democrats could still move forward on a separate contempt-related resolution this week to enforce subpoenas for Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn, reported Fox News.
Ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) blasted the “Godfather”, John Dean and Democrats’ “70’s star witness”.
He began by noting that Nadler acknowledged in his opening the foreign interference. “What is amazing though, and I agree with the Chairman’s assessment of being attacked and something that we’ve known– the Russians were always [interfering], but it’s not a priority,” Collins explained.
“If we were attacked as the Chairman just said, then the priority should be to go the battlefield on the attack where we were attacked on and not run by the sideshow to hear from the commentators. We should actually go to [Mueller],” the ranking member said of Nadler’s opening remarks.
Collins pointed out that Nadler is showing “the priorities” in which he said that “[Democrats] have an issue with who got elected President. We thought the Mueller investigation would solve this for us, and it really did not, even after a lot of discussion.” (Continued Below)
He went on to say that “priorities” are what the Democrats are focused on.
“If you look at the witnesses today… we’re not bringing Russia front and center. We’re not bringing the threats to our elections front and center. But however, we come here with some great folks… you’re wonderful on T.V. I can catch your testimony on T.V.,” The Georgia Congressman said.
“I’m a Republican. I believe that you use everything that you’ve got, to as much business as you want and generate as much as you want to work for yourself. But, I don’t believe it’s the problem of this committee to have to come and hear from those who are not apart of the Mueller investigation and who are not apart of this, ” he explained noting that John Dean could do the same on T.V. (Continued Below)
Collins brought up when Mitt Romey said Russian was a threat during a presidential debate in 2012. Barrack Obama mocked Romey and said that the “’80s were asking for their foreign policy back.”
“Well guess what? This committee is now hearing from the ’70s and they want their star witness back!” Collins expressed. “In fact, it’s very difficult for one of the witnesses here today for many of us to trace the distrust in the government back to the witness here today… the ’70s star of obstruction,” he pointed out.
Collins didn’t stop there as he brought attention to the “corrupt cabal” of FBI agents who were involved in the origins, listing Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Andrew McCabe, and James Comey. “I believe that they have the ‘Godfather’ here today, Mr. Dean! In fact, they probably had a picture up… how do we use the governmental resources to interfere in other peoples campaign?” He asked exposing Dean.
“Mr. Dean is the Godfather. They may have even had a picture of you, knowing how you do it. And that is here today, again to talk about a President that obviously you don’t like and interview in ways that you have plead guilty to,” Collins added. “But I don’t appreciate the fact… here we are again with priorities in this committee turned upside down.”
Collins added that the Democrats are obsessed with the Mueller report but aren’t calling on Robert Mueller to testify. “We’re hot and heavy to get everybody else here, but we don’t want to go there. [Be]cause at the end of the day, the Mueller document, in spite [of] his standing up statements, stated there was no collusion, which is where it started,” he said. (Video Below)
“But here we are again today. Here we are looking at it as we go forward. Why? Because there is an obsession, there is another election around the corner and that other election is simply being played out here. How can we damage the President, because we don’t like the cards that we gotta run on reelection on… with the economy and other things happening, ” he said.
“So Mr. Chairman, we’re here again. I believe the priorities are wrong, but you’ve called the priorities, so now, let the show begin,” Collins concluded.
Watch:
