Live from the Doan hearing: Setting the scene

I'm posting live from the Lurita Doan hearing on Capitol Hill this morning.

You can watch it for yourself on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Web site.

The statement by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) leads one to believe that Round 2 has started.

This hearing will focus on two new issues. First, there are serious questions whether Ms. Doan testified truthfully during our first hearing. And there are also new allegations that Ms. Doan tried to intimidate and retaliate against federal employees who cooperated with the committee's investigation. Both issues should be of great concern to all members of our committee.

When our committee learned earlier this year that Ms. Doan may have violated the federal Hatch Act by asking GSA political appointees how they could help Republican candidates in upcoming elections, we appropriately initiated an investigation. As part of this investigation, six GSA political appointees were asked to give transcribed interviews or depositions to the committee.

The majority says they are concerned about "retaliation" against government officials who have cooperated with investigators. But no such retaliation occurred. The real retaliation here is against an entrepreneurial African-American woman who –- stop the presses -- supports the administration and is paying the price for trying to make her organization a better, more efficient and effective place.

Today's hearing is a gross misuse of committee resources, built on an unprofessional and seemingly preordained report from the Office of Special Counsel. It is a farce premised on a sham.