The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a sexual harassment investigation into its own newly elected congressman, Brian Poindexter — the Bernie Sanders-backed ironworker who just ousted Republican Rep. Max Miller in Ohio — proving that the #MeToo apparatus was always a discipline tool, not a justice mechanism.

Poindexter, 47, won Ohio's 7th District by roughly 10 points last week. Now a single allegation from a campaign worker has the DCCC rushing to hire what it calls an "independent, third-party firm" to investigate what Poindexter's campaign describes as an "innocuous compliment to a volunteer" that made her uncomfortable. Two investigations — one from the DCCC, one from the campaign itself — over a compliment.

"The DCCC has been made aware of the allegations and takes them seriously," said Julie Merz, the DCCC's executive director. "In the interest of fairness to all parties involved, we have hired an independent, third-party firm to investigate any instance of inappropriate behavior, conduct interviews and gather the facts." The committee promised the probe would be "swift, thorough and transparent."

A Poindexter campaign spokesperson said the congressman-elect "gave what he thought was an innocuous compliment to a volunteer," heard later it made her uncomfortable, and "felt awful." The campaign says it is also working with an outside firm "to get to the bottom of it."

The New York Post, citing Politico, reported the allegation. The Post also noted Poindexter's prior record: a 1998 arrest for allegedly swallowing crack cocaine during a traffic stop, and a 2013 arrest for allegedly slapping a stranger "for no known reason," per the Washington Free Beacon.

The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. Poindexter ousted Miller, an incumbent who spent the campaign fighting accusations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno — daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno — who alleged physical abuse and called Miller a danger to their young child. Miller vehemently denied the claims. The left had no problem amplifying those allegations when they served the cause of flipping a seat.

Now the machinery points the other direction. Rolling Stone reported this week on British comedian David Walliams, who faces a London police investigation after more than 30 accusers came forward alleging sexual misconduct. Walliams denied the accusations but admitted he "behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships" and "did not always take people's feelings into proper account." Thirty accusers and a criminal probe versus one uncomfortable volunteer and two internal party investigations — the disparity in scale tells you where genuine concern ends and institutional posturing begins.

The DCCC doesn't deploy "swift, thorough and transparent" investigations because it cares about a campaign volunteer's feelings. It deploys them because the party apparatus needs leverage over its own members — especially a Sanders-backed outsider who just walked into a seat the establishment didn't hand him.

The weapon was never meant to be turned on its makers. Watch how fast the rules shift when it is.