Remember how the House sergeant at arms hadn’t heard of the call Wednesday by four GOP lawmakers for a probe of alleged infiltration of the Hill by Muslim intern subversives?
It turns out that’s because Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), the de facto leader of the group, who also wrote the foreword for the book on which the charges are based, hasn’t yet submitted a request for an investigation, Myrick’s office tells TPMmuckraker.
Myrick “will be submitting formal requests to the Department of Justice, the Sergeant at Arms and the Internal Revenue Service in the next few days,” spokesperson Taylor Stanford told us.
The office of the sergeant at arms, for its part, seems to be treading lightly on this one. It hasn’t returned multiple calls for comment. We’re going to keep trying until we get a response.
The DOJ told TPMmuckraker yesterday that it was aware of the request for an investigation, but couldn’t comment on whether one had been launched.
Meanwhile, another Democrat is out with a strong statement denouncing the charges of Muslim intern spying as a “slander against democracy and religious freedom.”
From Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus:
“At the heart of this issue is whether or not diverse populations are given a fair shot at representing their legitimate political interests in Congress, either as interns, as staff or as Members. The climate in Congress is clearly not as conducive as it should be in encouraging democratic representation, as exemplified by recent fear-rousing antics. As a result of the innumerous obstacles facing Muslim-Americans in this post-9/11 environment, their political participation is stifled and often stymied. More channels for Muslim participation are sorely needed, as well as a friendlier climate that embraces, not discourages, diversity. These fallacious allegations implicate the existence of a society still struggling with anti-Muslim sentiment. My Muslim colleagues in the House of Representatives, along with the highly qualified, patriotic and committed Muslim staffers and interns that have worked with my office and with CAPAC, contribute mightily to our democratic process. Any slander against these fellow patriots is slander against democracy and religious freedom.
Late Update:: Here is Myrick on CNN today asserting that her campaign “has nothing to do with Muslims.” It’s worth noting that the co-author of the book for which Myrick wrote the foreword has a history of making inflammatory statements about Muslims.