Pelosi, Hoyer, Conyers, Rangel voted to impeach Hastings in 1988
posted at 8:55 pm on November 19, 2006 by Allahpundit
Along with 409 other members of the Democrat-controlled Congress. Now they want to make him chairman of the House Intel Committee.
You think Byron York enjoyed writing this article?
One of the newcomers to the House was the future Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had been in office a little more than a year. She voted to impeach Hastings.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the future Majority Leader, also voted to impeach. And so did the lawmakers who will soon chair powerful House committees. Rep. Conyers, now in line to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Charles Rangel, soon to chair the Ways and Means Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Barney Frank, in line to head the Financial Services Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Henry Waxman, next chair of the Government Reform Committee, voted to impeach…
So did other well-known Democratic lawmakers like Rep. John Lewis, Rep. (and later Sen.) Barbara Boxer, Rep. (and later Sen.) Charles Schumer, Rep. (and later Sen.) Richard Durbin, Rep. Ed Markey, Rep. Ron Dellums, Rep. Julian Dixon, and Rep. Richard Gephardt.
Exit question: does Hoyer’s victory as majority leader make it more or less likely that Pelosi will appoint Hastings? After the Murtha debacle, she won’t want to be seen as having made two bad decisions in a row. On the other hand, Murtha didn’t win so she can safely appoint Hastings without signaling a larger trend towards corruption. Also, the knock on Pelosi is that she takes things personally; having been rebuked by her colleagues over Murtha, she’ll be loath to cater to them by appointing Harman, whom she allegedly dislikes. Appointing Hastings might be her way of reasserting her authority and independence.
My guess? She opts for the compromise candidate, Silvestre Reyes.
Update: Hoyer says he’s not 100% sure that Pelosi won’t punish the House Democrats who voted for him.
Blowback
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If Nancy thinks being Speaker of the House is the same as being Queen of the House, she’s in the midst of a rude awakening.
Pablo on November 19, 2006 at 9:01 PM
I think the more important issue here is the creepy picture of the old ladies in the Google ad I keep seeing at HA over the past few days.
RightWinged on November 19, 2006 at 9:03 PM
Hastings as intelligence chair would be funny if it weren’t so serious. Pelosi wants to put our national security secrets in the hands of a man who we know will sacrifice his principles for cash.
Yeah, that’s a great idea.
Slublog on November 19, 2006 at 9:18 PM
Excuse me, that should read “a man who we know has sacrificed his principles…”
Slublog on November 19, 2006 at 9:23 PM
Get with the program- that was then, this is now. They’re Democrats, and there’s a shortage of qualified candidates. They’re going to have to go with what they’ve got, never mind they were once considered impeachable. It could happen to anyone. (sarcasm off)
Scotsman on November 19, 2006 at 9:23 PM
I do not get this. In most professions being convicted of a major felony results in punishment. Most companies or professions will not hire a felon. Now after campaigning on the environment of corruption crap what do the Dems do? -Give a felon Committe Chair. Fact is indeed stranger than fiction. Even Rove could not write this script.
iam7545 on November 19, 2006 at 9:42 PM
If Pelosi appoints Hastings, can the Executive Branch revoke his security clearance? Who would be willing to argue publicly that someone prone to accepting bribes should have access to highly classified information? Pelosi would either have a chairman with no ability to do his job or would have to reverse her decision and appoint someone else. Seems like a win/win situation.
I believe that Hastings was not convicted criminally, but he was impeached nonetheless.
rw on November 19, 2006 at 9:46 PM
The black caucus will go ballistic if they go after alcee or William Jefferson. So dont hold your breath.
William Amos on November 19, 2006 at 9:56 PM
I’m not sure HotAir is well-served by that ad. Placing an ad between the blog post and the comments section is quite a good idea, of course, as far as that goes. Yet it seems the ads should never be allowed to become downright unappealing, unless there’s some commercial advantage to HotAir in giving readers a negative association with the thought of clicking a blog entry.
However, having two old Medicare parasites remind me of my mortality, “social welfare,” and the demographic problem isn’t nearly as repugnant as having to up with Grebrook’s full-on enmity every time I scan the comments. Nor in his case is there even an advertising fee to compensate HotAir for some portion of the commercial disadvantage of letting him pop in to drag down the mood.
Kralizec on November 19, 2006 at 10:02 PM
The larger problem is the very organization of the House along the lines of “Congressional oversight” of agencies. Since the reorganization of the House in (I think) the 1970s, committee and subcommittee chairmen have acquired executive power as a result of their control over subcategories of the budget. It wasn’t always this way.
Kralizec on November 19, 2006 at 10:11 PM
I have to believe Nancy is smart enough not to go for a target like Hastings. Two bad choices in a short time would not be good for her new leadership role. Bill Kristol said today on Fox News Sunday that Nancy’s first wrong move (nominating Murtha) didn’t really hurt her all that much – but Bill (God bless him – even though he can be such a wet blanket sometimes) did feel Nancy might have nominated Murtha as a strategic move – knowing he wouldn’t actually get the nomination. Although I’m sure Nancy is conniving, I don’t know if she’s that clever.
thedecider on November 19, 2006 at 10:19 PM
The black caucus is one thing, but do you imagine that black Americans in general will view the appointment of a such a corrupt politician favorably, once they’re made aware of what’s going on? If anyone plays the race card in this case, it seems it should be easy enough to ask, loudly and often, whether the Democrats are so racist as to think their black constituency will be proud to have such a crook so prominently placed.
Kralizec on November 19, 2006 at 10:23 PM
By the way…love the picture of Nancy! I’m surprised her eyebrows can reach that high with all the Botox. Was this pre-makeover?
thedecider on November 19, 2006 at 10:28 PM
OK I’m a disillusioned Republican,or moderate Democrat trying to clean up the culture of corruption. I vote for a Blue Dog Dem to send a message or clean up Washington. Right now I’m hearing circus music and all the sideshow barkers hawking their feats of prestodigitation. Its a toss up between P.T.Barnum “Theres a sucker born every minute” and Yogi Berra “Its Deja Vu all over again” Well theres a new sheriff in town since the Dems held the majority. Mabey they can be held more accountable in this information age. I am waiting for the new government web site to appear in 2007. The one that will show where all the money is spent. Talk about a culture of corrruption! This should be good.
sonnyspats1 on November 19, 2006 at 10:42 PM
I watched the Hastings impreachment hearings on C-Span in the late Eighties. The bribe-taking POS is on tape….taking bribes from Da Mafia. He used a code, but it was so obvious that even most of the Black demos voted to kick him out
If he gets the chairmanship, even the PusBag Media will go after him. They have their standards ( wait a minute while I try to stop laughing here ) to maintain, after all.
Janos Hunyadi on November 19, 2006 at 10:59 PM
I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if Madame Botox does put Hastings in there. Nothing this woman does or says surprises me anymore. Just curious though if she was due for another injection as her face barely moves most of the time. Caddy I know.
Catie96706 on November 19, 2006 at 11:13 PM
On screen!
Kralizec on November 19, 2006 at 11:27 PM
On my screen it looks like she is checking out that skank with the love hump.
pedestrian on November 20, 2006 at 12:09 AM
!
Um, I have no idea what you mean here. What I remember is Hastings sitting there smirking while the FBI audio tapes of his phone calls were played. He and his accomplice used a fifth-grade code right out of The Hardy Boys, but they went into so much detail about who was paying how much for what that it was as obvious as it was pathetic
Janos Hunyadi on November 20, 2006 at 12:43 AM
This is a tragi-comedy. Tragic for the country. Laughing stock for the world.
Entelechy on November 20, 2006 at 1:39 AM
Discrimination against our elderly Americans? Why, that’s like, sooo racist!
/lib sarc
db on November 20, 2006 at 8:09 AM
Sorry to disappoint everyone, but Hastings beat the criminal charges, thus no felony. And the impeachment is a constitutional matter, not a legal one. While the Dems impeached him, they did agree to strip him of running for Federal office, which was in their power. Thus, like the bad penny he is, he went to Congress.
enigma00825 on November 20, 2006 at 8:46 AM
culture of corruption?
drain the swamp?
the most ethical congress in history?
nancy, you go girrrllll!
mountainmanbob
mountainmanbob on November 20, 2006 at 10:25 AM
I know it shouldn’t, but it still amazes me that Hastings can get voted into office. It’s even more amazing that Pelosi will try to get him in a position of power after impeaching him from the Federal bench. The more I watch our system of government the more I think a 12 year term limit in Public service is needed. This would apply to any elected office regardless the level of govt(city,county,state,fed).
Oh, and I get headaches just thinking about Ted K getting voted in over and over after his stellar life.
bubbadog89 on November 20, 2006 at 12:08 PM
Pelosi, Hoyer, Conyers and Rangel…all brought together to do something *RIGHT*….
…politics and strange bedfellows comes to mind….
…and I immediately appologize to all here for any mental imagery that this might…er…give rise to…feel free to drink until it goes away….
Puritan1648 on November 20, 2006 at 1:15 PM