Iowa's "Watch Dogs" In Congress Don't Bark

As Corruption Grows at Supreme Court

Jul 02, 2023

What public officials don’t do is often even more important than what they do.

That’s certainly the case with Iowa’s entire Republican congressional delegation as corruption continues to grow and fester at the nation’s 6-3 Republican controlled Supreme Court, and as Iowa’s all Republican delegation continues to nap through it.

It is painfully clear: Iowa sent “lap dogs” - not “watch dogs” to Congress when it comes to fighting corruption at the Supreme Court. Sleepy ones at that. They don’t appear to be particularly bothered by the crookedness coming to light at the nation’s highest Court, a vital and powerful part of the federal government.

In their press releases, Iowa’ delegation has often been quick to harshly criticize President Biden for mostly imaginary wrong doing. It’s all partisan boilerplate, of course. The contortions they are willing to engage in to blast the President is often absurd.

Yet, when they have a tsunami of actual, obvious, and stinking corruption just across the street among Republican Supreme Court Justices, they have nothing to say. It’s a reflection of the tribal partisanship that has engulfed the Republican Party.

One might reasonably think Iowans sent their House and Senate members to Washington, D.C. - at least in part - to be watchdogs against corruption and to ensure that Iowa’s values, which at least used to include honest government, operating with integrity, are reflected and honored by those who work in the federal government. At any level. In any branch.

Judging by the Iowa delegation’s reaction, or lack thereof, to the growing absence of integrity at today’s Republican controlled Supreme Court, however, anyone who thinks that is going to be sorely disappointed.

Two Supreme Court Justices - Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito - are clearly on the take. That may be too blunt for some, but it is accurate. They are exhibits A and B in what I call the “Adopt a Justice” program Republicans have set up, like some charity to provide for the care and feeding of wild ponies on federal lands out west. Only this program is for the care and feeding of at least two (that we know of, so far) Supreme Court Justices.

Republican billionaires who do the “adopting” have showered Thomas and Alito with huge financial favors including free private jet travel, lavish vacations, and undisclosed real estate transactions that deliver cash for purchases above the market rate, etc.

It has all been delivered and accepted in secret. Neither Justice disclosed that they have secret financial “sugar daddies” or that their benefactors have had interests before the court.

Nor did Thomas disclose, or even more importantly recuse himself from January 6 cases that came before the Court, even though we now know his wife was deeply involved in planning for the insurrection.

One would think that “watch dogs,” as opposed to “lap dogs” might have something to say about that.

Iowa’s partisan “lap dogs” have not. They haven’t even bothered to scratch their ears about it. None have protested the Court’s growing corruption. None have demanded enforcement of the existing, admittedly flimsy, ethical rules. None have called for new ethical rules for the Court to be imposed by Congress if the Court can’t police itself. And, clearly, it can’t.

The loudest response from any Iowan in Congress came from Senator Chuck Grassley. He meekly offered the milk toast suggestion that we should let the court handle it and let’s see what they do.

The court he is referring to, of course, is the court that did not prevent the corruption, hasn’t handled it, and is highly unlikely to do anything about it now or in the future.

woof-woof.

Not much of a bark there.

With the latest barrage of right wing rulings coming from the Court, especially this past week, new scandals are now launching out of the Court’s ethical ooze.

The rulings blatantly ignore past Court precedents - some established decades ago, and reaffirmed often since then. Ignoring those precedents and ruling accordingly, ust happens to accomplish the very same political goals Republicans have pursued for decades but have not been able to achieve through the ballot box.

Golly, what a coincidence.

Remember all those years Republicans railed against what they claimed were liberal “activist judges” who they falsely claimed were legislating from the federal bench? Turns out they didn’t mean a word of it. They have no problems with legislating from the bench, as long as they are the ones doing it.

Ok, you may say. Republicans are being hypocrites again. That’s not new.

What makes this a new scandal?

Here’s what: Each Republican Justice pledged at their confirmation hearings that they would abide by the legal doctrine of “Stare Decisis,” which obligates courts to follow historical case decisions when making a ruling on a similar case. In other words, they pledged to respect and follow precedents.

Clearly, that was a lie - told not because it reflected their actual view, but told to get past the hurdle of Senate confirmation and get on the Court. Had they answered honestly, their confirmations would have been highly doubtful, and they knew that.

I always thought lying to Congress was a crime.

At the very least, you’d think if Iowa had any “watchdogs” in place in Congress, they might muster up at least a low warning growl about this.

But nope. Nothing but silence from Iowa’s partisan “lap dogs.”

Lying to Congress?

If that’s what it takes to get Justices confirmed and right wing policy that the public does not support, and Congress will not enact, put in place, then Iowa’s delegation is apparently tail-wagging happy to allow it.