Moving from the D.C. suburbs to the wilds of rural Virginia a decade ago was one of the best decisions of my adult life; not only because it gave me and my family a better way of life, but because Gerry Connolly was no longer my representative in Congress.
To be sure, I've had my issues with the Republicans who've represented the Fifth District since I moved here in late 2012, but Connolly is bar none my least favorite member of Congress. His sliminess and grotesque ability to use almost any issue to spew the gun control lobby's talking points were on full display on Monday during the House Oversight Committee's grilling of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, when he bloviated at length about the "ubiquity of guns" in this country in a pathetic attempt to get Cheatle to say that gun ownership is a problem.
Connolly noted that he understood there was an ongoing investigation and that Cheatle would not be able to “go into too much detail” but still, members of Congress and “the American public” had “anxiety” about how this assassination attempt could have happened.
He pivoted to gun control issues. “Now, there are some things my friends on one particular side of the aisle don’t really want to talk about, like AR-15s and access to them by a 20-year-old — or anybody for that matter.”
Connolly then proffered a sarcastic question: “Presumably, Director Cheatle, the ubiquity of weapons, guns in America — especially assault weapons or semi-automatic weapons — that’s helped your job, and the mission of your agencies, right? It’s made it less complicated, isn’t that true?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not understanding your question,” Cheatle replied.
Connolly's smarmy sarcasm was apparently lost on Cheatle, but the jowly Democrat refused to let it go and ask a substantive question of the Secret Service director.
“Real simple, more guns, especially dangerous ones, have made your job protecting people easier, Is that not right?” Connolly asked, calling it “simple English” whether “more guns, do they make your job more complicated or less complicated” in protecting their protects and visiting heads of state and heads of government.
“I think the Secret Service needs to take into account –” Cheatle began.
“I didn’t ask that,” Connolly interjected. “I’m sorry. I asked a simple question, which deserves a simple answer. The ubiquity of guns, dangerous weapons, in America like AR-15s, has that made your job — that is to say the mission of the Secret Service — easier or more difficult?”
Yeah, Connolly decided to grill Cheatle over whether the "ubiquity" of guns is a problem for the Secret Service instead of asking any questions about any lapses in security that directly led to the attempt on Donald Trump's life. Like a pug with a chew toy, Connolly refused to let it go, even when it became clear that Cheatle wasn't going to play along.
“I think the threat environment for protecting our Secret Service protectees is always difficult, and that’s dynamic, and it’s always evolving –” Cheatle tried again.
“We stipulate it’s always difficult,” he said. “Again, this is a simple one. Does the ubiquity of guns make your job easier or more difficult today?”
“I understand the Second Amendment rights of individuals –” Cheatle said.
“I didn’t ask that question,” he cut her off, irritation evident in his voice. “I’m not questioning the Second Amendment. I’m asking a simple analysis, Director Cheatle, and I can tell you, you’re not making my job easier in terms of assessing your qualification for continuing on as Director. Please answer the question. You’re the head of the Secret Service. You’re speaking on behalf of 8,000 members who put their lives on the line. We just had a failure by your own admission. Do guns make your job easier or harder?”
Gerry Connolly isn't questioning the Second Amendment... just the fact that tens of millions of Americans are choosing to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, and whether that makes the job of the Secret Service easier or harder.
Connolly's obvious insinuation, of course, is that if it weren't for that pesky Second Amendment guns wouldn't be ubiquitous in the United States, and we'd be much better off as a result.
No doubt Connolly believes this to be the case, though I doubt he could give you a straight answer about what we should do about the ubiquity of guns in this country other than spout off on the need for "common sense gun safety legislation." But there's another reason for Connolly's grandstanding today. Like his fellow Democrat Jamie Raskin, Connolly is desperate to distract from the Secret Service's failure, which ultimately is a failure of the Biden administration. But while Raskin used his allotted time to push for a ban on AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles, Connolly took aim at all guns... and by extension, all lawful gun owners as well.
Amazingly, Connolly's Democratic colleague Jared Moskowitz of Florida took up where Connolly left off his idiotic line of questioning when he grilled Cheatle.
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: Well, let me ask a — I want to follow up on Representative Connolly’s question, in which you asked about guns and you were not willing to commit that that makes your job harder. This is not about the Second Amendment. If there were over 400 million guns on the streets, if all of those guns were machine guns, would that make your job harder to protect people?
DIRECTOR KIMBERLY CHEATLE: Again, I think weapons are out there —
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: If all of those guns were rocket propelled grenades. Would that make your job harder?
DIRECTOR KIMBERLY CHEATLE: Yes, sir.
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: Yes. Okay. Thank you! Perfect!
HEARING GALLERY: WHOOO!
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: This is not a trick question! Thank you. Okay. I won’t ask the other 15 things I was going to do. I was going to do drone strikes, but it’s okay. So that’s all we were asking.
It creates a challenging environment. It has nothing to do with the infringement of people’s rights. But it does make your job harder. So credit to Representative Connolly for asking that question.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that both Connolly and Moskowitz were also quick to endorse Kamala Harris for president once Joe Biden took the hint and shuffled off stage left. They're team players, and for Democrats right now that means both backing Harris and taking a swipe at the Second Amendment every chance they get.
