Opinion | Facts matter: Another disastrous spate of failed GOP investigations

We have two more vivid examples of MAGA Republicans’ fruitless and laughable efforts to turn Fox News conspiracies into real scandals. (Disclaimer: I am an MSNBC contributor.)

Durham’s dud: In four years, special counsel John Durham, appointed by defeated former president Donald Trump essentially to investigate possible FBI wrongdoing and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation, turned up virtually nothing. Two criminal cases he filed ended in acquittal. As the New York Times reported, “Mr. Durham’s 306-page report revealed little substantial new information about the inquiry, known as Crossfire Hurricane, and it failed to produce the kinds of blockbuster revelations accusing the bureau of politically motivated misconduct that former President Donald J. Trump and his allies suggested Mr. Durham would uncover.” In fact, Justice Department Investigator General Michael E. Horowitz had already plowed this ground.

Former prosecutors blasted the report as nothing more than an extended 0p-ed. Rather than do what special counsels are charged with — explain the reasons for indictment or for declining to indict — Durham simply regurgitated right-wing accusations that the FBI was harder on Trump than on former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Worse, his report displays the very confirmation bias he tried to pin on the FBI.

Moreover, Durham actually found there was evidence sufficient to begin at least a preliminary investigation. Former prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade tweeted that Durham ignored the legitimate reasons to open an investigation in 2016 “based on information received from Australian diplomats about Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos.” Durham also didn’t seem concerned with multiple contacts between Russians and the Trump campaign or Trump’s infamous “Russia, if you’re listening …” statement. McQuade added, “Durham criticizes the FBI for relying on the Steele Dossier for the Carter Page FISA. Steele Dossier was not the basis for opening the investigation, but it makes for a useful scapegoat to blur that fact.”

Andrew Weissmann, a lead prosecutor on Mueller’s team, concluded, “Why does anyone care what John Durham thinks about FBI policies? He’s never worked there and that is not his remit or expertise. Bottom line: he lost both of his crim[inal] cases and found no vast left-wing conspiracy against Trump.”

The Comer crash and burn: Since the GOP won the House majority, it has labored to find some evidence of President Biden’s corruption or criminality, a futile effort to create a moral equivalence between Biden and the most corrupt, scandal-plagued and disgraced president in history (now facing multiple criminal indictments). The problem: a total lack of facts.

“A top witness in a Republican investigation into the Biden family has apparently up and disappeared without a trace — or at least that’s what Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said Sunday on Fox News,” the Daily Beast reported. You really cannot make this stuff up. Comer said, “We’re hopeful that the informant is still there. The whistleblower knows the informant. The whistleblower is very credible.” But if the sources for this scandal are missing or in jail (!), maybe an expensive wild goose chase is not the best use of congressional resources.

Comer’s news conference the previous week turned out to be a nothingburger “largely consisting of Comer throwing around vague, unsubstantiated accusations and failing to link the president to any of his relatives’ alleged ‘influence peddling’.” Even one of the most egregious conspiracy mongers, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), confessed, “You’re not going to get necessarily hard proof but there’s such a huge body of evidence,” he said without identifying what that was. We just have to “infer” wrongdoing, said Johnson.

The only thing we can say for certain is that Republicans’ effort to dig up dirt on Biden has been as unsuccessful as Trump’s alleged effort to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to manufacture dirt on Biden. In other words, rather than turn up evidence of Biden’s wrongdoing, Republicans have confirmed their lack of a real agenda and an infatuation with right–wing media concoctions.

The hypocrisy should not be missed: The real scandals — from Rep. George Santos of New York (whose 13 criminal indictments this month weren’t enough for House Republicans to bring an expulsion vote) to Trump’s serial wrongdoing (he confessed in the CNN town hall to willful retention of government documents) — are on the Republican side.

Distinguished pol of the week

If you lived in California for any period of time, as I did for more than three decades, Gloria Molina was a household name. The first Latina elected to the state Assembly, the Los Angeles City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors died this week at age 74 after battling breast cancer.

She was a tenacious representative for a community that had long been ignored and underserved, a barrier-breaker whose career inspired a host of other Latino politicians (including Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and former U.S. labor secretary and current L.A. supervisor Hilda Solis), a champion for East L.A. residents’ transportation access and a critical mover in reshaping the city’s downtown. In recognition of her work on the latter, Grand Park was renamed Gloria Molina Grand Park.

In a statement, Padilla noted, “The daughter of working-class parents, Gloria fought tooth and nail for working class communities across Los Angeles. … Each time we speak out today against the status quo and demand better from our government and our political leaders, we take a page from Gloria’s playbook — and California takes a step forward.”

From her work before entering public office to challenge unauthorized sterilization of Latinas to her leadership of Mothers of East Los Angeles, which prevented construction of a prison in their community, to the valiant fight against Proposition 187, which sought to deny services including education to undocumented residents (approved by the voters but overturned in the courts), she doggedly defended the rights and interests of her constituents and the broader civil right agenda.

Known as a warm, engaging person (who cooked for her staff), she earned the respect and even the affection of her political rivals. Few Los Angeles politicians have done more to diversify political leadership and empower disadvantaged communities. For a life well–lived and a career well–remembered, Los Angelenos and all Americans should be grateful.

On my recent trip, I followed my own travel advice, especially when it came to a week in Amsterdam, where we made ample use of the extraordinary Dutch rail system to visit The Hague, Delft, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem. Two experiences in particular stood out.

We were fortunate to see the largest collection of Johannes Vermeer paintings ever assembled. The 17th–century Dutch painter produced fewer than 40 works, so seeing 28 of them in a single exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime joy for art lovers. The difference between even the best reproductions of his work and a live viewing of Vermeer’s paintings is starker than one can imagine. Reproductions simply cannot capture his brilliant use of light, the luminescent colors and the intimacy he created in scenes of domestic life.

From something very old to something brand new: We were delighted to see one of the first performances of the new Dutch National Ballet production “Dorian,” based on Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” The exquisite pairing of classical dance and hip-hop (along with computer graphic art) does for ballet what “Hamilton” did for musical theater: It reimagines and makes relevant an established art form, attaining a level of brilliance that equals that of great classics. One senses that it will join the Russian and Balanchine ballets as part of great ballet companies’ repertoire.

Every Wednesday at noon, I host a live Q&A with readers. Read a transcript of this week’s Q&A, or submit a question for the next one.

Michael: How are Democrats strategizing for Trump? I’ve seen a few polls and analyses suggesting a Trump victory over Biden is more realistic than anyone wants to acknowledge. How are Democrats strategizing for that potential reality? It’s becoming more and more concerning that this rematch might put a terrifying individual back in control of the country for another four years. Is there a way to offset concerns about Biden’s age and cognitive abilities?

Jennifer Rubin: We should be wary of any polls conducted more than a year before election day. It’s possible Trump might face more indictments on Jan. 6-related crimes and his mishandling of confidential documents. We also don’t know what the state of the economy will be in 2024.

The best response to questions about Biden’s age and fitness is to compare the two likely nominees. Biden speaks cogently with the command of facts. He remains fully in touch with the real world. Physically, he is active and fit. Trump, only a few years younger, has emotionally and intellectually unraveled. Physically, he remains overweight, eats poorly and doesn’t do vigorous exercise. Imagine him riding a bike or doing anything athletic. (Riding in a golf cart doesn’t count.)

This is a choice between sanity and delusion. Between a grasp of accurate information and utter ignorance coupled with conspiratorial thinking. There is no question as to which one is fit and which is incapable of handling any serious responsibilities, let alone the presidency. Really, the question is how any voter can think a babbling figure such as Trump is an appropriate choice to lead a nation.