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The National Archives have been in the spotlight in recent months — ever since the infamous FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August of 2022 revealed the agency’s involvement in an ongoing, seemingly partisan tussle over the retention and classification of presidential records.
President Biden, who’s facing his own issues regarding the (improper) retention of classified documents, nominated Colleen Joy Shogan, 47, to head the National Archives on August 3, 2022 — just five days before that high-profile raid. An initial hearing on her nomination in September before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee resulted in a deadlock after Republican members of the Committee questioned Shogan’s “extreme” partisanship.
Biden resubmitted Shogan’s nomination in January and she appeared before the Committee Tuesday morning to face additional questions. Republican members of the Committee include Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), who put his litigation skills to work cross-examining Shogan regarding partisan views she has expressed on Twitter, despite her insistence that her Twitter feed consists of mundane tweets about her dog and mystery novels. (No word on yoga or her daughter’s wedding.)
Watch as Hawley dissects Shogan’s testimony:
BRUTAL: @HawleyMO catches Biden Archivist nominee lying under oath about her partisan hack Tweets.
She has no response. pic.twitter.com/C2S4TgzFLj
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) February 28, 2023
Their exchange proceeded as follows:
Hawley: You responded as follows — and I quote: “My personal Twitter account is comprised of posts about my mystery novels, events at the White House Historical Association, Pittsburgh sports teams, travels, and my dog.” Is this an accurate statement?
Shogan: Yes, Senator.
Hawley: I just remind you — you are under oath. Is this an accurate statement?
Shogan: Yes, Senator.
Hawley: Let’s talk a little bit about your Twitter posts, then, that I was asking you about. On February 18th 2022, you posted on Twitter bemoaning the dropping of mask requirements for children, including those under the age of five. Do you remember that post?
Shogan: No, Senator. Those tweets were in my personal capacity.
Hawley: Ah…no, no, no, no, no, no, no — I asked you: Would you give all public posts that you had made on Twitter? You said no, effectively, and you said that your Twitter posts consisted of: “mystery novels, events at the White House Historical Association, Pittsburgh sports teams, travels, and my dog.” And you just told me now, under oath, that you stood by that.
So now, let’s talk about your Twitter posts. On February 18th 2022, you posted bemoaning the fact that mask requirements for children under the age of five — one of whom I happen to have, by the way — had been dropped. Is that a post about your dog or sports teams?
Shogan: My social media is in my personal capacity, Senator.
Hawley: Answer my question, please, because you’ve testified under oath that you only posted about your dog and sports teams and novels. And you also said you wouldn’t give this committee any of your public posts. So, is your post on February 18th 2022 bemoaning the lifting of mask requirements for children under the age of five, who I might just ask — all of the data has said is extremely harmful to children, these mask requirements — we’ll leave that aside for now. Is that a post about your dog or sports teams? Yes or no.
Shogan: My social media is in my personal capacity, Senator.
Hawley: Yes or no, Ms. Shogan. You are under oath before this committee. And I have to say, you have placed this issue squarely in record by repeatedly refusing to answer. Yes or no?
Shogan: My personal…my social media is in my personal capacity, Senator.
Hawley: So you’re not answering my question. Let’s talk about another post — 26th of May 2022, you talk about an assault weapons ban, retweet a post, “Ban assault weapons now,” say you agree with this idea that you have to be a certain age to buy so-called “assault weapons” in America. Is that a post about sports teams or your dog or mystery novels?
Shogan: My social media is in my personal capacity, Senator.
In other words: My personal views that I’ve shared publically aren’t pertinent to my qualifications to hold this position, nor is the fact that I lied to this committee, under oath, about what the content of my Twitter feed consists of.
Sure, let’s go ahead and approve the nomination of someone who’s been less than forthright about their partisan stances to a position that presently is involved in a highly-charged partisan embroglio over the retention of classified documents and potential national security risks.
I don’t sit on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, obviously, but that’s going to be a no from me.
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