House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) insisted that those testifying before the committee today follow their assigned seating arrangement because this is a political witch hunt and don’t forget it.
Former Obamacare consultant Jonathan Gruber and CMMS administrator Marilyn Tavenner were explicitly required to sit next to each other.
The decision by House Republicans meant that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner was questioned alongside Gruber, famous for his comment that the “stupidity of the American voter” contributed to ObamaCare’s passage. […]
“We believe this is a perfect pairing, a pairing of individuals who are responsible for what we know and don’t know [about ObamaCare],” [Oversight Chairman Issa] said.
Issa also raised some very serious questions during the hearing.
“I’ve been accused that I’m going to berate you or something and I hope it won’t feel that way when I get done. But the night before last I was at the Kennedy Center honors where they honored Tom Hanks, who famously portrayed Forrest Gump. The ultimate successful stupid man,” Issa said before getting to his first question for Gruber. “Are you stupid?”
“I don’t think so, no,” Gruber said.
“Does MIT employ stupid people?” Issa continued.
“Not to my knowledge,” Gruber said.
Today’s hearing was Issa’s last hearing as chairman.
Darrell Issa leaves behind a legacy of accomplishing absolutely nothing other than turning the Oversight Committee into a witch hunter’s committee that may not regain it’s credibility for a generation.
It would not be an overstatement to say that the Oversight Committee is one of the most important committees in Congress, but that is no longer the case. It’s now a joke. A committee which is unaccountable cannot hold others to account.