Another day, another opportunity for Josh Hawley to flaunt his faux-masculinity in a Senate hearing.
On Tuesday, the author of Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs, was literally foaming at the mouth when questioning FBI director Christopher Wray. Hawley was outraged over the bureau’s nearly year-old memo about the rising domestic threat posed by “radical Catholic ideology.”
“Do you have a problem with systemic bigotry against Catholics in the FBI?” Hawley asked, as saliva came spilling out of his mouth.
Somehow, Wray managed to keep his cool. Well done!
“No,” he responded calmly.
The level of constraint Chris Wray has is commendable. I couldn't do it.
— Yasmine Mary, ARNP-FNP-C (@yazzy1967) December 5, 2023
I would be laughing while testifying. 💀
— 🏳️🌈🌹WINTER🌹🏳️⚧️ (@ChaoticLeftistW) December 5, 2023
Like many news stories in our partisan world, it’s difficult to understand what Hawley is screaming about, since only right-wing outlets are paying attention to the supposed scandal. But here’s what we can ascertain: Back in January, the Richmond FBI field office released a memo warning about the rising threat posed by “radical traditionalist Catholic ideology.”
When a whistleblower leaked the memo, the FBI said the report had been withdrawn. Wray told Congress in July the report only came from the Richmond office, and he “ordered it withdrawn” from FBI systems as soon as he found out.
“I was aghast,” he said.
But of course, a reasonable explanation isn’t enough for rabid House Republicans, who would rather chase conspiracies than govern. A few months back, the House Judiciary Committee released a less-redacted version of the document, which indicates the FBI’s Los Angeles field office “initiated an investigation.”
Is your head spinning yet? What tedium!
Despite there being no evidence about the FBI waging a real investigation into the matter, Republicans continue to insist Catholics are being targeted.
Hawley ran with that line Tuesday.
“Are you gonna fire these people or not?” he asked Wray.
When Wray said those who created the report in question have been disciplined, Hawley started yelling in his big, baritone voice.
“I see. So the 60 million American Catholics, who now learn that your FBI has recommended that priests be recruited as informants, your FBI has gone to priests, choir directors, but we’re to be feel better, because you’ve admonished them for your wrongdoing,” he railed.
When Wray said Hawley was conflating different issues, the gasbag senator from Missouri interrupted again.
“You said categorically, ‘We do not go to priests and ask them about their parishioners,'” he berated. “You said, ‘We do not.’ You didn’t say ‘we haven’t.’ You didn’t say ‘we won’t.’ You said ‘we don’t.’ But you do, and you kept it from the public! You deliberately misled Congress about it!”
“I just fundamentally disagree with your characterization,” replied Wray.
We were off to the races yet again. By the way, has anybody told Hawley that Joe Biden, the sitting president, is a practicing Catholic?
Hawley, who will likely find himself in a tough reelection battle, is constantly looking for his Fox News star turn.
And his efforts always blow up in his face. Take last month, for instance, when he tried to reprimand Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for a rogue employee’s antisemitic social media posts.
Mayorkas, whose mother was a Holocaust survivor, quickly shut Hawley down.
“Senator Hawley takes an adversarial approach to me in this question, and perhaps he doesn’t know my own background,” he said.
“Perhaps he doesn’t know that I am the child of a Holocaust survivor. Perhaps he does not know that my mother lost almost all of her family at the hands of the Nazis. So I find his adversarial tone to be entirely misplaced. I find it to be disrespectful of me and my heritage. And I do not expect an apology, but I did want to say what I just articulated.”
Suddenly, the quick-footed senator no longer seemed so tough.
A few weeks before that, Hawley tried to beat up NCAA president Charlie Baker over transgender athletes.
The former Massachusetts governor didn’t bite.
We’re sensing a pattern here. Hawley keeps losing his temper, while those on the receiving end of his tirades retain their composure.
Not very macho, huh?
Related:
In just one week, you’ll be able to read all about Josh Hawley’s manhood
Josh Hawley’s hotly-anticipated manifesto on masculinity is almost here, y’all!
Georgeiv2
When will Miss Hawley and the other Republican has been Queens piss off and let the Democrats do their job and make America actually great again !
Fahd
Hawley´s attempts at pandering fall flat more often than not. No wonder he´s in the Ted Cruz pariah club in the Senate.
On the other hand, maybe there´s something that´s deeply troubling him — ED? confused sexuality? — and causing him to act out. He has the resources to get help if he’d just face up to whatever it is the is troubling him, the first step.
In any case, the people of Missouri deserve and should demand better.
b2rocketfan
I very much agree we need Better.
Winsocki
I was raised Catholic and parochial school all the way grade to high school. Catholics are as diverse as any human organization. Most of my Catholic friends and family do not support Trump or his syncophants. They have no problem with being pro-choice ( free will), gay and lesbian issues, and all the things that this clown foams about. What Catholics are we talking about is the issue. Do not lump them all together … My nuns were big on social justice and laity equal power with clerics as living members of the body of Christ . And ignore the call to communion for only conservative tow the line Catholics. All welcome at a wedding or funeral mass is our motto.
Ronbo
Lucas Kunce will destroy paper tiger Hawley.
Hawley replaced McCaskill. You may recall that she was the EXCLUSIVE Democratic swing vote to allow warrantless FISA spying on USA citizens. And McCaskill voted against allowing amendments to prevent warrantless spying operation.
Even when we won, we lost to our own establishment conservative.
bachy
I actually think radical traditionalist Catholic ideology should be investigated. In an effort to preserve church unity, Pope Francis believes that the spread of the Tridentine Mass had become a source of division and has been exploited by Catholics opposed to the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church and its liturgy.
I know someone in LA who attends one of these ancient liturgical masses and frankly, it sounds very cultish. He allegedly owns a huge cache of guns and ammo and entertains a very “apocalyptic” view of current events.
We all know how threatened these people are: when they don’t get their way it’s “the end of the world.”
abfab
Another very paranoid cult.
abfab
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Irish state and Catholic Church established Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland. These institutions forcibly housed unwed women who became pregnant, the last of which closed in 1996. It is estimated that 35,000 women were forced into these institutions and 6,000 babies died in their care.
The Magdalene Laundries were state-sponsored, church-run institutions in which women were forced to work for no money, in near silence, kept away from the wider world. Their crimes? Some had been sexually abused, others had been raped, still more were locked up because they had a reputation for promiscuity.
Ronbo
Just imagine what it was like to be a pregnant woman who was disowned by their family and living on the streets. Ireland is cold – very cold. You would not live thru a typical winter’s night.
If we are going to attack imperfect people who worked intending to help humanity, we are lost. Abfab suffers from a severe case of “presentism”. The demands that we hate those who made things marginally better (for most, but not all) are absurd. If you expect perfection, abfab, you will not find it in any human. Do you hate President Truman because of using nuclear weapons? President Lincoln relocated Native Americans, etc….
When there are no “good” choices, it’s better to have AN opportunity, rather than no opportunity.
Abfab’s glass seems always half empty; it might be why they have complained about being unable to find a partner, friends and success. Back then I suggested that you come back from the extreme becoming accepting, cooperative and compassionate. Take my advice.
b2rocketfan
Oh my gawd. Josh Hawley is such an embarrassment to those of us from Missouri who aren’t complete MAGA assholes. I hope so hard he will get voted out next year.
CNY1983
skeletons going to come out, with raised fists.
Herman75
Josh Hawley is such a mincing queen, and not in a good way