Rep. Dana Rohrabacher—the Putin-loving, fluoridated-water-hating Republican congressman from California—is going to war against Google, again, this time over a cheesy documentary.
This month saw the theatrical premiere of America, the $11.4 million grossing (and counting), critically panned doc by conservative author and criminal Dinesh D'Souza about why slavery wasn’t so bad and how America is the best thing to come along since Jesus invented Wonder Bread. Shortly after its release, D’Souza and co. formally complained about glitchy Google search results that made it harder for consumers to find showtimes.
Now Rohrabacher (who is no friend of Google’s) has jumped in, calling for a congressional committee to investigate the matter. In doing so, he floated a conspiracy theory:
“This doesn’t deserve to be ignored,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “We need to verify the statistics in some way, and I will be suggesting the appropriate committee or subcommittee have some kind of hearing on this. We know there were significant incidences, and that would suggest there was intent behind Google’s nonperformance...If there was an intent to confuse the public about this movie because of its ideological content, then we’re going to find out about it.”
Rohrabacher has received a near-perfect rating and “hero” status from the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, but sure, this sounds like a good use of taxpayer money, why not?
The conservative rep. has something of a history with the film industry. He appeared, alongside senators Robert Byrd and George Allen, in the 2003 Civil War drama Gods and Generals. In 1990, he revealed that he was working with Hollywood producers to film his script, The French Doctoresse—a romance set against the backdrop of World War II. “There’s not a single bedroom scene, or people not wearing any clothes,” he told the Associated Press at the time, addressing rumors that his screenplay was full of steamy sex. “It’s something the whole family could see. I think it’s going to be the Dr. Zhivago of the 1990s.” Rohrabacher wanted Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, or Jane Fonda to star. The movie was never made.
Beyond his cinematic pursuits, Rohrabacher is also known for his staunchly conservative views, being pals with Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, dismissing Gitmo detainee abuses as “hazing pranks from some fraternity,” and for his past support and praise for the Taliban.
Here’s a trailer for D'Souza’s movie: