WASHINGTON — The hype didn’t pan out.
The advance publicity put out by the GOP-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — including a scary movie style video trailer — promised to pummel the Democratic mayors of Chicago, New York, Boston and Denver, all sanctuary cities.
But they emerged mainly unscathed from the six-hour plus hearing Wednesday, called to bash them for not cooperating with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation raids.
I want to make clear that even though the hearing didn’t amount to much, Chicago and the other cities still have a very real threat hanging over them. As a consequence of sanctuary policies, Trump will, by fiat, likely cut off federal funds to them, unlawfully.
What a good day for beleaguered Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. He was attacked by several Republicans for polling 6% in one survey, which is pretty lousy. Another Republican committee member tried to make Johnson look bad in the wake of the city’s inspector general report a few weeks ago that he did not properly report luxury gifts — not good, but later rectified.
Johnson had a good day because he avoided disaster while he defended Chicago’s “Welcoming City” Ordinance, in place since 1985. The law does not block federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from doing their jobs. When proper and legal, Chicago does cooperate with federal authorities.
Johnson was calm, measured, soft-spoken and disciplined, with days of prep since landing in Washington Sunday. The city hired the D.C. law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, whose partners have expertise in prepping witnesses for high stakes hearings.
For Johnson, absorbing a few insults about being unpopular and taking a punch about not disclosing gifts in this context was nothing.
Somehow, all the top ranked GOP provocateurs on the committee — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.; Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio — forgot to bring their top game to the hearing. Maybe because they were all up late last night for Trump’s recording-breaking address to a joint session of Congress, where he talked for more than an hour and 40 minutes.
Mace, known for her yes-or-no questioning technique, asked what in my analysis was a loaded question: whether it’s “acceptable for illegals who commit heinous crimes to be released back into the public.”
As Johnson tried to talk his way out of that trap, Mace cut him off and taunted, “This is why you have a 6% approval rating: Because you suck at answering questions.”
Mace forgot that the subject of the hearing was whether sanctuary city policies suck — not the mayor.
The committee, known for its sizzle, put on a hearing so sedate that at the end, the chair, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., noted the fizzle. “Believe it or not, this is the best behaved this committee has been this Congress,” Comer said.
Illinois Democratic Reps. Robin Kelly, Delia Ramirez, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Jan Schakowsky, dropped by for some of the hearing. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and Rep. Darin LaHood, D-Ill., joined the panel for the day — it’s a thing that is allowed often at hearings — in order to let them ask questions.
Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is preparing to run for the Senate if Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., does not seek another term, is the only Illinois member on the panel, and he figured out a way to defend Chicago without getting dragged into the sanctuary city debate.
“President Trump has said many things about Chicago, including that it is ….“worse than Afghanistan.” Addressing Johnson, Krishnamoorthi said, “I suggest the facts say otherwise. Condé Nast recently named Chicago the best big city in America, eight years in a row.” Johnson replied, “best freaking city in the world.”
Krishnamoorthi went on to hit Trump on high egg prices.
When it was his turn, LaHood, from Peoria, said it’s “clear to me that sanctuary city policies have harmed our once great cities” and the state of Illinois, which also has a sanctuary law.
“As I’ve watched you over the last two years you’ve been mayor, I’ve been amazed at how tone deaf you have been and how oblivious you’ve been to the decline of Chicago. ….You’re putting the interest of the illegal immigrants above the interest of taxpayers in Chicago.”
I was surprised that LaHood, one of the few Illinois Republicans with a high profile — who may have statewide ambitions — found it necessary to take the low road and hit Johnson in the stomach with his terrible approval rating, as LaHood put it, “The worst showing of any political figure in the country’s history.”
Johnson told LaHood at the end of his questioning, “I’m glad I had a chance to meet you for the first time.”
Johnson didn’t take the bait. But having one good day is not going to be the end of Trump and his congressional GOP members looking to punish sanctuary cities. This is far from the end of this story.