Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said Thursday he expects House Democrats to use the Oversight Committee to pursue low-level government staffers rather than focus on the affordability issues they campaigned on, once they take control of the chamber in January.
Speaking on Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle” with guest host Kayleigh McEnany, Comer argued that junior staffers make easier targets than senior officials because they typically lack money, legal representation, or institutional backing.
“They’re going to go after everybody, and it’s easier to go after a low-level staffer than a senior staffer because that low-level staffer is usually young, usually doesn’t have any money and can’t afford an attorney,” Comer said. “A lot of times, the government agency will represent the senior staffers, but they don’t represent the young junior staffers, and that’s where the Democrats are going to go.”
Comer named two colleagues he expects to drive that effort: Rep. Jamie Raskin, who he said is positioned to chair the Judiciary Committee again, and Rep. Shomari Ansari, a member of the Oversight Committee who Comer said will likely chair a subcommittee on oversight. He pointed to Raskin’s prior role leading the January 6th committee as evidence of how he expects power to be used.
“I knew if they ever got power, they would abuse that power,” Comer said.
The Kentucky Republican said the coming oversight push has little to do with the economic message Democrats ran on in the midterms.
“They’re not focused on affordability, even though that’s what all of their campaign ads said, and that’s what they use to deceive the American people,” Comer said. “They’re going to be focused on settling scores. That’s it. That’s their number one priority. That’s what gets their Far-Left wing base excited.”
Comer added that he believes independents who backed Democratic candidates expecting a cost-of-living agenda will instead see a committee preoccupied with retribution. “House Democrats have never said how they plan to make life better for Americans,” he said. “All you’re seeing from the House Democrats this week is they want to settle scores.”
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