According to POLITICO, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is poised to become the second-highest-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee in the 118th Congress. If true, the position would afford AOC the platform to go head-to-head against Republicans conducting investigations into the Biden administration.
AOC acknowledged that discussions are being had.
“There’s been conversations, but nothing’s been finalized,” AOC told POLITICO.
Republicans hold the majority in the House and on the Oversight Committee. Accordingly, Republicans are expected to launch intensive investigations of Biden and his administration – especially with respect to Hunter Biden and his laptop.
AOC, who is already one of the Democrat’s most high-profile members of Congress, would be expected to counter the Republican narrative of a corrupt and scheming Biden.
If AOC is given the position
AOC would be able to sit in for Raskin, should he ever be absent, meaning Raskin would need to have confidence in his number two.
“I have the greatest admiration for her skill, and I’m sure we’re going to be able to deploy her to maximum effect on the committee,” Representative Jamie Raskin, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said.
AOC and Raskin worked together on the Oversight subpanel in the past, focusing on civil rights issues. The pair was observed to maintain a close relationship, leading some observers to speculate that as Raskin rose in the ranks, he would bring AOC with him.
Whether AOC gets the gig or not will be clear soon. Democrats are expected to meet today to organize for the next two years; Democrats will likely use the meeting to solidify their leadership positions. So, AOC’s role will likely be decided today.
If AOC does get the role, she’ll enter the number two spot right as things begin to heat up. “Republicans have spent months conducting behind-the-scenes planning,” POLITICO reported. The fruits of Republican planning will soon reveal themselves. For example, Representative James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, is setting the stage for two high-profile hearings next month. For one, Comer has invited Border Patrol officials to testify about the situation at the border. For the second hearing, Comer has invited three Twitter officials to discuss how Twitter handled the 2020 New York Post story on Hunter Biden.
AOC indicates that she is ready for the challenge. “I think I’m going to have a lot of fun on this committee,” she said. “Of course, [Republicans are] going to be calling hearings on horrible things, but our job is to protect the people and protect the vulnerable communities that they seek to attack … it gives us an opportunity and a platform to de-legitimize a lot of the disinformation that they’ve been advancing.”
Republican investigations
Unfortunately for Democrats, the time and energy spent investigating the Trump administration is about to be reciprocated; Republicans are eager to turn the tables and investigate Biden. Personally, I think both parties are mostly wasting finite resources on partisan, political pursuits.
Both the Trump and Biden investigations have been couched in practical language about national security and justice and this and that but most of the investigations, from Russiagate to Hunter Biden’s laptop, seem politically motivated. The public deserves a Congress that commits its resources toward important stuff. I’m not sure a Hunter Biden investigation qualifies.
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Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison lives in Oregon and listens to Dokken.
