As they prepared to take control of the lower chamber of Congress, there was extensive hype about how Republicans planned to abuse their new House majority with fake "investigations" meant mainly to generate right-wing propaganda. Certainly, in the past, the imprimatur of congressional hearings elevated Republican lies and conspiracy theories into the mainstream, turning non-stories — like "Benghazi" — into headline-grabbers that look very much like "scandals," especially to those not paying super close attention.
So it was with great pomp and circumstance that Rep. James Comer, R-Tenn., gaveled in the first of what are expected to be endless kangaroo hearings that Republicans hope will imbue gravitas into Fox News-shaped fantasies. The subject of Wednesday's House Oversight Committee hearing? The horrific assault on the GOP's god-given right to look at pictures of Hunter Biden's penis on Twitter. Yep, taxpayer resources were going into an "investigation" into this right-wing narrative accusing Twitter of malfeasance because Joe Biden's campaign asked the social media platform not to publicize private photos stolen from the laptop of a private citizen.
