Yesterday, a couple of dozen GOP Representatives bulled their way into the Sensitive Compartment Information Facility in the House of Representatives in order to disrupt the Star Chamber proceedings being conducted by California Democrat Adam Schiff. This is allegedly related to impeachment, but as it is being handled by the House Intelligence Committee rather than Fat Jerry’s Judiciary Committee, one doubts it has anything at all to do with impeachment and is merely a vehicle for Schiff to leak bullsh** to a credulous and culpable press.

The immediate effect was that virtually every Twitter lefty and NeverTrumper, particularly those who have never in their lives held a security clearance, to suddenly become experts on storing classified information and mobile devices in SCIFs. This is knowledge the obtained sometime after Top Secret reconnaissance satellite imagery, which can only come from within a SCIF, was found on Hillary Clinton’s phone.

Other Republicans are using this justification too, telling me that they worked to collect everyone’s phones after realizing that some members had walked in with their devices.

Still, the entire facility had to be swept due to the security breach.

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) October 23, 2019

Official also says of the GOP members who forced their way into the SCIF despite not being on any of the 3 committees:

“The House Parliamentarian has ruled that these members are in violation of House deposition rules.”

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) October 23, 2019

For overwrought fearmongering and sheer Chicken-Little-ism, this thread can’t be beat. EVER.

But in "storming the SCIF" without observing the security protocols, Rep. Gaetz et al, endangered our national security & demonstrated they care more about a political stunt than protecting intelligence information.

I cannot emphasize enough how serious this is.

— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) October 23, 2019

Just because a SCIF CAN contain classified information doesn’t mean it DOES. The facility is constructed to prevent eavesdropping of any variety and Schiff was using it as a prop to make his endeavor seem much more serious than either it or he are and to prevent people he doesn’t want in depostions from attending. Essentially, he’s using it as Calvin and Hobbes used their tree house.

READ: No, Republicans Entering the SCIF to Protest Schiff Did Not Endanger National Security

I’d like to say I was shocked by what happened afterwards, but I wasn’t. Quin Hillyer was on the case

https://twitter.com/QuinHillyer/status/1187111946174238726

Vichy Conservatives gonna do this to you every time

— streiff (@streiffredstate) October 23, 2019

though I think Ace nailed that one cold

Spare the faux outrage. I think Ace sums it up nicely here: pic.twitter.com/CuQ7I0GOtl

— Gozer the Gozerian (@G_Gozerian1) October 24, 2019

and this

This is banana republic shit. Our Founders are spinning. https://t.co/9aLjjqnAbt

— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) October 23, 2019

Good heaven. This is like someone writing bad parody of a Bulwark article topped off by a bad parody of a Rick Wilsom comment on that Bulwark parody. It is not only insulting to the reader and beclowing to the writer, it is just the inchoate cry of NeverTrumpers who are shocked that the GOP is not going along with Schiff ugly little bit of theater. For people who have been beating the rest of us over the head with their purity and high minded principles, it is no surprise to find those principles have evaporated when they would have demanded that Schiff adhere to historical process.

Once you clear away the bullsh** about the SCIF, you’re left with a very simple binary decision. Do you think that Schiff’s inquiry is legitimate or not? If you do, and you’re fine with an impeachment process that is diametrically opposed to the Clinton and Nixon processes, then you are probably upset because it takes away from the presumed gravity of the situation (you’ll note I did mention Schiff was involved). If, on the other hand, you think the ongoing process is a travesty and a clown show, then you have no obligation to treat it as anything other than that and demonstrate to the world just how ridiculous it is.

2 possible GOP responses to Resistance's latest effort to undo 2016. 1) Allow Dems to do secret hearings, leak out snippets, let them set narrative, impotently respond. 2) Go on offense and call out absurdity of it all, after Russia, EC, 25thA, Cohen, SDNY, Smoky Daniels, etc.

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 23, 2019

I am clearly and unapologetic in the latter category. The Democrats have turned the most solemn duty of the House of Representatives into a farce. If they want to impeach President Trump, they can do so. But they should have the courage to follow precedent and traditions in order to try to establish legitimacy rather than make it an obvious political lynching. And since they have created this farce, then the GOP has every right and every obligation to join in and make it the Platonic Ideal of farce. I hope there is much more of this and I hope in continues until the Democrats agree to observe the same process used in the last two presidential impeachments.

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