Hastert has begun testifying before the ethics committee

[Frustratedlady]

according to ABC Breaking News.

[Kagemusha]

1. Wonder how many hours 'till he comes out.

TPM had a pic of his chief of staff coming out yesterday. Guy looked like he'd seen a ghost.

[acmavm]

2. And when he swore to tell the truth he apparently didn't

spontaneously combust?

[zbdent]

8. Proof there is no God

no lightning bolts ...

[LSK]

3. is this on CSPAN?

www.john06.com

[babylonsister]

5. No. Closed door ethics committee. nt

[pacalo]

4. I'd be more excited if the committee weren't loaded with Rethugs.

[babylonsister]

6. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones is on the committee; they're not all rethugs. nt

[OzarkDem]

10. She's a former prosecutor

No doubt she is giving them a hard time.

[pacalo]

11. Actually, I was wrong.

Surprisingly, it seems the house ethics committee is one committee where the numbers are fair; there is an equal number of Rethugs on the committee as there are Democrats:

Rethugs:
Doc Hastings, Washington, Chairman
Judy Biggert, Illinois
Lamar Smith, Texas
Melissa Hart, Pennsylvania
Tom Cole, Oklahoma

Democrats:
Howard L. Berman, California, Ranking Minority Member
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio
Gene Green, Texas
Lucille Roybal-Allard, California
Michael F. Doyle, Pennsylvania

[zbdent]

7. Gee, I wonder if he'll be

"under oath" ... or are they going to have a nice little teaparty chat like the 9/11 commission had with Bush & Cheney ...

[SpiralHawk]

9. "I did not have Pervert Protection with that man." - Hasty

[riderinthestorm]

12. Boy, they've sure kept the fact that he's testifying today under wraps!

I'm in the area, I am watching this and trying to follow it pretty closely, and I didn't realize this had already escalated up to Hastert. There were a few predictions that the ethics committee would just leave it alone at the staff level but if they've already pulled in big Denny, they must have heard a lot of shit from the others.

I really, really hope this explodes on Hastert. Protecting a predator just to try to keep another seat is just a low bar that totally sucks.