Campaign Action
Swalwell led with a very simple statement of the facts: “I'm sorry if we don't just rubber stamp this oversight plan, but there's a trust deficit here. And it's not a reflex. It's a response. There's a trust deficit here.” He then provided a very real example of what he means.
“One of the very first committees, the very first committee hearing of this Congress, Mr. Gaetz, after we all agreed on what the committee's plan was going to be, it was going to be voice vote—and everyone agreed. Mr. Gaetz wanted to offer an amendment to say the Pledge of Allegiance. That's great. Every single person on our side supported that.” But, as Swalwell explained, Republicans don’t really care about the Pledge of Allegiance: They care about attacking their Democratic colleagues, and so saying the Pledge of Allegiance wasn’t dangerous enough for Gaetz—especially after the Democratic representatives on the committee called his bluff.
“I don't think he really genuinely cares about saying the Pledge of Allegiance, but he wanted to do it again to own the Libs and to see if we would vote against it. We didn't. But who did he bring in here to say it? The Pledge of Allegiance? Who did he parade in here? In a uniform? Somebody that he met at a gun club, he said locally. Okay.” Of course, knowing Matt Gaetz and his history of bad decision-making and dubious friendships, Democratic officials were leery. “Mr. Cicilline (D-RI), you had the crazy idea that maybe we should vet the people who come in here, make sure they're not insurrectionists. Mr. McClintock (R-CA), I am not kidding you, Mr. McClintock said, ‘Well, it's not like we're going to invite somebody who committed murder.’ No, he literally said that. ‘It's not like we're going to invite somebody who committed murder.’
“Okay. Well, who did Mr. Gaetz bring? He brought Corey Beekman. Corey Beekman in 2019, was in a standoff with the Michigan police after he was arrested and charged with murder, assault with intent to commit murder and two counts of felony firearm possession.” This is all true. The case has not led to Beekman seeing any jail time, as the woman who was shot has refused to testify as to what happened that day. You can read about the case and it is disturbing, to say the least.
Swalwell then points out how the victims’ families had to watch this and how disappointed they were at the cruel incompetence of Gaetz’s political theater. “That's why there's a trust deficit here. You'd pull off a public stunt to try and own the libs, and what you did was you brought in the guy who allegedly shot two people and killed one of them. That's where the trust deficit is.”
Swalwell finishes by dropping an s-bomb and daring the Republican Party to try and do their jobs for the American people. “So you can play your games, conduct your stunts. We're here to get shit done. I yield back.”
If you would like to watch it all, including the fact that Rep. Jim Jordan is the chairperson for the committee, you can subject yourself to it below.
RELATED STORY: Matt Gaetz's associate Joel Greenberg sentenced to 11 years for sex trafficking and other crimes
Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego has thrown his hat into the ring! Gallego will try to take progressive-turned-bizarre-centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat in 2024. Today on The Brief, Markos and Rep. Gallego talk about the state of the country and his campaign, and what Americans want from the officials they elect to office.
Comments are closed on this story.