During a House hearing today with FBI Director Christopher Wray, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) absolutely destroyed Republican talking points that the agency and the Justice Department are out to get failed former president Donald Trump and those connected to him, many of whom have committed serious crimes.
When it was his time to question Wray, Lieu used one fact after another to make his point: That Donald Trump and those who are close to him have been investigated and charged because they broke the law.
Here’s a transcript of Lieu’s interrogation of the FBI chief:
REP TED LIEU: I’ll ask you a series of basic questions to get the facts out to the American people about our system of justice. Roger Stone was convicted in a federal court, correct?
FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY: That’s my recollection.
LIEU: Trump donor Elliott Brady was convicted in a federal court, correct?
WRAY: Also, my recollection.
LIEU: The attorney general at the time for those two convictions was Bill Barr. Which president nominated Bill Barr for attorney general?
WRAY: President Trump.
LIEU: Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was convicted on two separate occasions in federal court, correct?
WRAY: I believe that’s correct.
LIEU: The AG at the time of Cohen’s second conviction was Matthew Whitaker, which president appointed Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general?
WRAY: President Trump.
LIEU: Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was convicted in a federal court, correct?
WRAY: Yes.
LIEU: Trump’s former deputy campaign manager Mr. Gaetz was convicted in a federal court, correct?
WRAY: That’s my recollection.
LIEU: Trump’s campaign foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, was convicted in a federal court, correct?
WRAY: Yes, he plead guilty.
LIEU: The Attorney General at that time in those three cases was Jeff Sessions. Which president nominated Jeff Sessions for Attorney General?
WRAY: President Trump.
LIEU: Which president nominated you for FBI Director?
WRAY: President Trump.
And then Congressman Lieu knocked the proverbial ball out of the ballpark by noting, “What these facts show is we don’t have a two-tiered system of justice. We have one Department of Justice that goes after criminals, regardless of party ideology. It is not the fault of the FBI that Donald Trump surrounded himself with criminals. Donald Trump brought that down upon himself. Thank you for exposing the cesspool of corruption of these Trump associates.”
Boom! That’s how you shut down Republicans: With irrefutable facts.
