Thursday's House Judiciary and Oversight Committee hearing with FBI agent Peter Strzok "was 10 hours of traveshamockery, a travesty wrapped in a sham wrapped in a mockery — not my word, but it fits," Chris Cuomo said on CNN Thursday night. "You had the angry Republicans who didn't make the case that bias tainted the [Robert Mueller] probe, the high-dudgeon Democrats who have contempt for the other side. But it is Republican Paul Gosar who take the prize for showing this situation at its best — and for that I mean, at its worst." He repeated Gosar's (Ariz.) opening gambit: "'I'm a dentist, so I read body language very, very well.' Is that in the same vein as 'I'm not a dentist, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night and I can gladly do your dentures'? Crazy."
"We asked all the big Republicans to come on who were big at the hearing today," Cuomo noted. "None of them came on. They all went on Fox."
Cuomo broke out his whiteboard to detail why he thinks House Republicans failed to make their case against Strzok and their ultimate target, Mueller. For the GOP, "this was more about making allegations than asking anything," Cuomo said. He illustrated the GOP fruitlessness with one "standout moment" in which Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) "made [President] Trump's case that the probe is a 'witch hunt' by attacking Strzok as a philanderer, not a trace of irony on his face." Strzok wasn't "contrite" about his texts, which do show bias against Trump, but House Republicans promised to uncover facts, he said, and in 10 hours, "no proof was offered that Strzok did something acting on bias."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Here is the big takeaway: There are three facts that work against the GOP, and I don't know they did anything to vitiate or get rid of them today," Cuomo said, running through them. Watch below. Peter Weber
-
Nicola Sturgeon's memoir: making the personal politicalTalking Point Former Scottish first minister attempts to set record straight in 'Frankly' but does she leave more questions than answers?
-
Trump-Putin: would land swap deal end Ukraine war?Today's Big Question Ukraine ready to make 'painful but acceptable' territorial concessions – but it still might not be enough for Vladimir Putin
-
The truth about sunscreenThe Explainer The science behind influencer claims that sun cream is toxic
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crimeSpeed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monumentsSpeed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seatspeed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring pushSpeed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additionsSpeed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein filesSpeed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oilSpeed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymanderSpeed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
