title:  Elijah Cummings Made Sure The GOP Is Well Aware They’re Hypocritical A**holes Regarding Flint
text: There seems to be a definite double standard when it comes to how Republicans in Congress want to go about investigating terrible governors. When it came to investigating former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber (D), Republicans like Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) were fast and furious with their requests to obtain the information they wanted in regards to a scandal surrounding Oregon s health insurance exchange. However, when it comes to going after Republican Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan over the horrendous Flint water crisis, those same Republicans so adamant at going after a Democratic governor, failed to send requests to investigate Flint.Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) is not about to let them get away with this hypocrisy whatsoever.In a letter sent by Cummings to Chaffetz, who is the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Cummings points out the clear double-standard of the committee going after Kitzhaber, but not Snyder in the same regard. And while Cummings does give them some credit for called Snyder before the Committee in March, it is clear that they are not going after Snyder with the same vigor. Cummings wrote: During our meeting last week, you explained that you had spoken directly with Governor Snyder, and you suggested that one reason not to request documents from him is because he might claim that his communications about the Flint water crisis are protected by executive privilege. Although I was not a part of your conversation with Governor Snyder, any claim of executive privilege to withhold documents from Congress would be a surprising turn of events that directly contradicts the Governor s own promises of accountability to the people of Michigan. Cummings also wrote: I believe that the Committee should apply the same standards for requesting documents to all governors, regardless of whether they are Democrats or Republicans. By declining to send any document request at all to Governor Snyder, the Committee is creating the perception of a double-standard in which it has requested documents from a Democratic governor, but not from a Republican governor. He then goes on to give the example of former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber.It is simply woefully irresponsible to so blatantly neglect going after Gov. Snyder, especially considering the Flint, Michigan water crisis is so irreversibly severe causing lifelong health issues to those affected. Not only should they be investigating Snyder to the fullest extent, but they should be pushing for his resignation, as is what happened with Kitzhaber.Cummings sums it up best when he states: The Committee has never accepted this practice as an adequate standard of investigation, and we should not do so now. Governor Snyder and his staff are central figures in the decision-making process that led to the poisoning of Flint residents, and the Committee owes it to these residents to conduct a comprehensive and bipartisan investigation. Snyder needs to be held responsible and party politics need to be checked at the door. End of story.Featured image via YouTube