I will preface this by saying that it appears the issue has been resolved BUT for at least a few of the last 24 hours, Democrats held a supermajority on the subcommittee that Jim Jordan created to, essentially, find out what dirt the DOJ has on him.
That’s a bit reductive but not untrue. Here’s what happened:
Kyle Cheney of Politico was first to note the news — due to a typo in a resolution that passed the House on Tuesday, Republicans had accidentally shrunk the size of the House “weaponization subcommittee” to 12 members instead of expanding it to 21. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was the one to submit the resolution.
The resolution also specifically said that “not more than 9 shall be appointed in consultation with the minority leader.” This all means that, temporarily, Democrats had nine seats on Jim Jordan’s subcommittee and Republicans had three, giving Democrats the supermajority on a panel that was created to help Fox News write its scripts for the evening broadcast.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) proposed a fixed version of the resolution on Wednesday and it passed, amending the errors and giving Republicans the majority on the new subcommittee, which Jordan is set to chair.
The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government was one of many favors hardline Republicans were able to pull out of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in exchange for the speakership. The subcommittee has wide-ranging authority to investigate the federal government, including the Justice Department, gifting those on the committee who are conflicted themselves a platform to poke holes in the very investigations they might be implicated in.
The Best Of TPM Today
Here’s what you should read this evening:
College Board Strips Down African American Studies Course After DeSantis Loudly Rejects It
Looks Like McCarthy Managed To Cobble Together Enough Votes To Oust Omar
What The House GOP’s Targeting Of Ilhan Omar Is Really All About
Biden Should Wed His Cancer Moonshot To The Energy Transition
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
House Dems Call McCarthy’s Bluff On Committee Seats: He’s Just ‘Catering To The Most Extreme Members’ — Emine Yücel
What We Are Reading
The GOP Is Just Obnoxious — The Atlantic
George Santos Relative Says They Never Gave $5,800 Reported by the Campaign: “I’m Dumbfounded” — Mother Jones
An alleged $500 million Ponzi scheme preyed on Mormons. It ended with FBI gunfire. — Washington Post
