We already knew that the January 6 Committee of the House of Representatives was a partisan, illegitimate effort, denying Republican leadership the right to name its own members. Yesterday, the committee confirmed this status with a leak intended to hurt the gubernatorial campaign of GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is closing in on Democrat Kathy Hochul in the polls. Such activity has nothing at all to do with the committee’s charter or legitimate activities.

The New York Sun reports:

Congressman Lee Zeldin’s jump in the polls in the New York Governor’s race looks to have spooked the Democrats — including the solons of the January 6 Committee. How else to explain the committee’s apparent attempt to intervene in a gubernatorial election by leaking Mr. Zeldin’s texts with President Trump’s chief of staff? The leak comes as the race has tightened to the degree that RealClear Politics reckons it to be a toss-up.

Far from a bombshell, the leaked exchange draws no blood. Yet what is the January 6 committee doing, issuing any leaks calculated to sway a state election contest for governor? We, for one, find it a shocking development. The Daily News says Mr. Zeldin’s exchange was “revealed in logs obtained by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection,” then “shared online” by reporter Hunter Walker.Albany’s Times-Union calls the text exchange “leaked.”

The contents of the leak are a big nothingburger.

As for the leaked exchange, it’s harmless. Ms. Hochul has no grounds to accuse Mr. Zeldin of “baseless conspiracy theories.” He was concerned over “vetted voting irregularities” after the 2020 election. With “unvetted” claims, he urged “reviewing those claims for vetting purposes.” He advised separating “facts” from “opinions.” That’s the kind of logical, and ethical, standard we expect from a Congressman and of which the January 6 panel seems incapable.

But of course, the leak is designed to influence low information voters, and push the theme of “insurrection” (by unarmed people, the first and only such “insurrection” in history) as worse than 9/11, tarring Zeldin as somehow a threat to the Republic.

Illegitimate attacks on Zeldin have been a feature of this campaign, including a physical assault while campaigning last July:

YouTube screengrab

I see it as a sign of desperation, as Democrats are out of legitimate arguments backing their plea for voters’ support. I suspect their internal polls show a situation worse than a toss up from their standpoint.

Hat tip: Lauri B. Regan