GOP Turns Congressional Record into a Hoax
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Bob FertikWant to meet our members? Click 'Join' above!
Those of us who believe in Truth hold a few things sacred. And one of them is that the Congressional Record is what it claims to be: a complete and accurate record of what Congress has done.
Well, thanks to the Republican Party, the Congressional Record is now full of lies.
The fictitious Kyl/Graham "floor debate"
By Anonymous LiberalToday the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. The Court will be called upon to determine--among other things--whether a provision in last year's Detainee Treatment Act ("DTA") effectively strips the Court of jurisdiction to hear Hamdan's case. The Government contends that it does and in support of this position, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John Kyl have filed an amicus brief with the Court.
This amicus brief argues that the legislative history of the DTA supports the Government's position. Specifically, the brief cites a lengthy colloquy between Senators Kyl and Graham themselves which purportly took place during a Senate floor debate just prior to passage of the bill. In the exchange, both Kyl and Graham suggest that the bill will strip the courts of jurisdiction over pending detainee cases such as Hamdan. But here's where the story gets interesting.
Apparently this entire 8 page colloquy--which is scripted to read as if it were delivered live on the floor of the Senate, complete with random interruptions from other Senators--never took place. It was inserted into the Congressional Record in written form just prior to passage of the bill.
Republicans are evil.
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Comments
Amazing
How arrogant and how stupid these people are and how stupid they think we are.
Proud member of the reality based community.
Huh?
Hmmm. Can't some of our Congresspeople challenge this? I mean, something was "added" to the Congressional Record: C'mon! "We were sitting there the whole time and didn't hear anything like that." How can you weasel a defense to that? "Ummm, errr, ahhh, The recorder-person mis-typed." Yeh, that's it. Or maybe, "A supervisor instructed an Archiver inappropriately and has been sacked." And, lest we forget, "All those challenging this Record Entry are supporting the terrorists. . ." The excuses are easy, but transparent. We gotta keep shoving these obvious lies down their throats.
It does seem
That our Democrat Senators would raise some hell about this. Nothing this Congress and Administration does surprises me anymore however.
The law!
In addition to being Senators, I believe Lindsay Graham and John Kyl are also lawyers. So, we have two lawyers submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, based on an event they fabricated. At the very least, their actions are grounds for disbarment.
Before we get our panties in a knot
I am not sure that adding this after the fact is against the senate rules. At committee hearings congressmen often add material to the record that is not read or spoken at the time. They just ask that it be added at a certain point in the record. It happens on the floor of both houses. The rules of congress are complicated and I doubt that any of us know them well enough to make that judgment. Even the members themselves need counsel to determine many applications of the congressional rules.
Having said that, the ethical problem is glaring and should be voiced loud and clear. I just think that we need to KNOW the law, before we claim that it has been broken. I for one am not fond of having egg drying on my face or that of the democrat party leaders.
Proud member of the reality based community.
I believe that you are
I believe that you are correct Di. The Congressional Record, as I understand it, is more of a historical (hysterical?) newsletter than it is an "official" document. Some really strange material finds its way into the Record.
Additional research...
It appears however, that Kyl and Graham have attempted to manipulate their entries under this provision, and misrepresent their inclusion. They ARE evil.
Yep
They seem to be creating a false record to impress the folks back home or some particular group of constituents.
I heard them discribed today as "hypocrats" by a professor from Cornell. I like that as a new word it is a keeper;)
Proud member of the reality based community.