Rep. Chaffetz (R-UT) getting conspiracy theorizing pointers from the Benghazi guy, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC)
In three congressional hearings this week (with still two more to go) Federal Communications Chairman Tom Wheeler has been interrogated by Republicans intent on taking another thing that government is supposed to do and manufacturing it into another devious conspiracy of President Obama's.
GOP lawmakers have floated the theory that the Obama administration secretly directed the FCC to adopt heavy-handed government regulation of the Internet, hijacking the deliberations of the independent agency. They've scoured FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's emails for damaging revelations and dragged him to the Capitol for a slew of confrontational hearings.
The all-out political offensive aims to chip away at one of Democrats' most significant tech policy achievements of late. And while Republicans for now have little chance of undoing the FCC's actions—and haven’t yet produced any bombshells on White House misdeeds—they seem intent on widening their probe.
"We're simply trying to figure out the facts," Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the leader of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in an interview. After grilling Wheeler at a hearing this week, Chaffetz said he "left feeling as if the White House was more manipulative of this process than ever," adding his panel isn't finished asking the FCC to turn over records.
The fact that Chaffetz is willfully ignoring, as Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo said in the hearing, is that the decision was made after 4 million public comments poured into the FCC—more than any other federal agency has ever heard on any issue. "Instead of celebrating that, or being interested in it," Eschoo said, Republicans "are pulling out the biggest guns to steamroll and cut up the agency's budget."
The best way to respond to that is to flood Congress, too.
Comcast is furious. They want to destroy our victory with their massive power in Congress. You won net neutrality. Now, are you ready to defend it? Call the congressional committees.