Literally one third of congressional committees are currently tied up in investigating the Obama administration.
None of this is going away any time soon.
From Benghazi to the IRS to the DOJ, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has the toughest job in the country right now trying to defend the indefensible. He was visibly flustered toward the end of an hour long beat down at the hands of the White House press corp during which he fielded about sixty questions.
The revelation that the Department of Justice secretly obtained phone records of AP reporters seems to have been the tipping point for the press, who have been in Obama’s pocket since the moment he set foot on the national stage — until now. POLITICO posted a story last night titled “D.C. turns on Obama” that pretty much sums it up.
The more info that comes out on these stories, the more D.C. insiders are expecting resignations from major department officials and White House staff.
On the campaign front, it appears the scandals are already affecting Democrat candidate recruitment. The Dems this week lost a top South Dakota Senate recruit who they were hoping could retain Sen. Tim Johnson’s seat when he retires in 2014.
It will only get worse. The NRSC and NRCC will be slamming potential candidates with these scandals from here on out.
The scandals have become so numerous and overwhelming that one of the top Democrats in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer, actually lost track of which one he was talking about during a meeting with reporters on Tuesday.
Yahoo!’s Chris Moody reports:
“At Rep. Steny Hoyer’s weekly meeting with reporters on Tuesday, the Maryland Democrat was asked if he was concerned about the DOJ seizing phone records from Associated Press journalists working in the House press gallery in the Capitol building. Hoyer’s answer was well-delivered: Articulate, clear, firm and precise. One problem: He responded to the wrong scandal.”
He was asked about the DOJ targeting the AP, but launched into an answer about the IRS targeting conservatives.
One senior GOP aide in D.C. gave Yellowhammer his perspective via email Wednesday morning.
“The sudden change in the political dynamic in Washington since the middle of last week is striking. The common thread between the Benghazi response, IRS & Tea Party, and AP stories is the potential misuse of government power. The feeling is that the full truth has yet to come to light, and Republicans are pushing hard now on the specifics. There will be more investigation and oversight. Even if the individual problems are not of the President’s direct making, he is ultimately responsible — yet his response has been very weak. He looks isolated, passive, and out of his league. Where is the leadership? He certainly falls well short of Truman’s ‘the buck stops here’ mentality.”
With two more weeks to go before the Memorial Day recess, Democrats are just trying to keep their heads above water.
What else is going on?
1. Rumors & Rumblings
2. Luther Strange weighs actions over IRS-tea party scandal
3. Campaign finance reform to get a shot on last day of session
4. Media bias laid bare
5. Roby Makes Her Move
