New House committee on government ‘militarization’ to hold first hearing

WASHINGTON — The new House subcommittee to investigate the so-called militarization of the federal government will hold its first hearing Thursday.

The midday event will feature testimony from Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, as well as former Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent and appears frequently on Fox News.

Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who served as director of former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial and a member of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack, is the only Democratic member invited to take the speak as a witness on Thursday.

The select subcommittee on the militarization of the federal government, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was created by the new Republican House majority to investigate allegations of federal government discrimination against conservatives. The panel is part of the House Judiciary Committee, also chaired by Jordan, and has the power to subpoena.

The subcommittee is officially tasked with investigating how the executive branch collects information about and investigates U.S. citizens, “including ongoing criminal investigations.” Republicans say they will investigate how the Justice Department, FBI and other law enforcement agencies investigated conservatives, including former President Donald Trump. The panel will likely consider the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago home in August.

In addition to Jordan, the 21-member panel includes high-level GOP critics of President Joe Biden’s administration, such as Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Elise Stefanik of New York and Matt Gaetz of Florida, who was quietly added to the committee last week. .

Democrats nominated nine members to serve on the panel, including committee vice chair Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, who was also responsible for impeaching Trump.

The committee will hear from a second panel of witnesses on Thursday, including two former FBI agents, Thomas Baker and Nicole Parker, who have criticized the bureau in recent years; Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, a Fox News contributor who has also criticized the FBI and alleged social media censorship of conservatives; and Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst and former assistant deputy attorney general in the Justice Department during the Obama administration.

The subcommittee is required to submit a final report to the House on its findings by January 2, 2025.