He says that the whole thing is just an attempt at distracting the public (which is apparently why he wanted to continue the distraction by holding hearings), but he refused to back up Madame Speaker’s claims that the CIA lied to Congress. Apparently he’s unwilling to go on record saying that America’s intelligence service lied in official briefings to Congress just because San Fran Nan says it’s so. Go figure.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, panned the recent criticism of Pelosi as a “distraction” during a verbal tangle with Republican Whip Eric Cantor on the House floor.
But when asked directly whether he shares Pelosi’s belief that the CIA misled Congress, he backed off.
“I have no idea of that. I don’t have a belief of that nature because I have no basis on which to base such a belief,” Hoyer said. “And I certainly hope that’s not the case. And I don’t draw that conclusion.”
Defend Nancy Pelosi? Oh, gee, no thank you. I’m good and all.
San Fran Nan has decided to go to war with the CIA, having called it an agency of liars, over what she knew. I have very little faith that she’ll end up winning this struggle, but she may very well sustain quite a bit more political damage than she has thus far. And yet she doesn’t really have the option to abandon the fight, as it’ll be taken as submission to the claims. Her constituents in liberal San Francisco, home of the anti-war activisits, might not like that their representative knew about torture for years and said nothing.
May the circus continue…
(Via HA)
by Stephan Tawney on Thu, May 14, 2009