Cascading investigatory duds take a toll on Republican politics | Canada News Media
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Cascading investigatory duds take a toll on Republican politics

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After the 2022 midterm elections, Republican officials knew things would be challenging in the upcoming Congress. The GOP had lost ground in the Senate and secured a narrow majority in the House, leaving the party with few legislative prospects.

What gave Republicans hope, however, were their oversight options: The GOP would launch an endless series of investigations, which they hoped would produce all kinds of evidence of their foes’ pernicious ways. The party probably wouldn’t be able to pass meaningful bills, but their probes, Republicans assumed, would create plenty of rewards.

So much for that idea.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan’s “weaponization” committee has failed to deliver the results the party hoped to see. Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s Jan. 6 committee has failed to deliver the results the party hoped to see. Republican prosecutor Robert Hur’s special counsel investigation failed to deliver the results the party hoped to see. Even Republican prosecutor John Durham’s special counsel investigation failed to deliver the results the party hoped to see.

And then, of course, there’s the granddaddy of ‘em all: The GOP’s ongoing impeachment inquiry targeting President Joe Biden, which has been a humiliating failure for quite a while, and which appears this week to have reached rock bottom. Politico reported:

Behind the scenes, Republicans of all ideological persuasions are increasingly admitting that they pulled the trigger on Biden’s impeachment too soon and that the effort has been hobbled by embarrassing setbacks.

 

The report added that GOP officials, from the leadership to rank-and-file members, realize that they won’t have the votes to impeach the incumbent Democrat, leaving the party to “search for an off-ramp” and explore possible “Plan Bs.”

Time will tell if, how, and whether Republicans settle on some kind of face-saving strategy — to the extent that one might exist — but in the meantime, plenty of voices within the party are grudgingly acknowledging reality and making their displeasure known.

ABC News, for example, pointed to multiple sources familiar with the sentiment on Capitol Hill who agreed that the impeachment inquiry is essentially “falling apart.”

Punchbowl News quoted a House GOP leadership aide who said Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer “are becoming the chairmen who cried wolf, promising there’s a ‘there’ there over and over again and producing nothing anywhere close to an impeachable offense.”

The same report quoted Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California saying, “I do believe we need to bring this to a conclusion.”

This comes on the heels of related recent reporting about Republicans describing Comer’s and Jordan’s crusade with words and phrases such as “clueless,” “disaster,” and “parade of embarrassments.”

If it were merely one failed investigation, GOP officials might be able to shrug it off. But it’s the cascading failures that make this an epic humiliation for the party.

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Youri Chassin quits CAQ to sit as Independent, second member to leave this month

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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.

He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.

In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.

Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.

He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.

Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.

He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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‘I’m not going to listen to you’: Singh responds to Poilievre’s vote challenge

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MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.

“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.

“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”

Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”

“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.

“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”

While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.

“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.

Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.

Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.

“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.

New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.

The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.

It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.

While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.

Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.

He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.

Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.

The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.

With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.

The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.

The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Social media comments blocked: Montreal mayor says she won’t accept vulgar slurs

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Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.

She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.

Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.

They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.

However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.

Her statement on X is closed to comments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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