House Republicans accused President Biden and his son Hunter of “age-old” corruption while dismissing Democrats’ attempts to derail the first impeachment inquiry hearing, even as witnesses told the GOP they don’t have the goods to bring a case against the chief executive — yet.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) in his opening remarks told the panelists that their investigation of the president was based on a “mountain of evidence” that Republicans had obtained about the Biden family’s “culture of corruption.”
The evidence was obtained through subpoenas for bank records, witness statements and portions of records from a five-year criminal investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances released by an IRS whistleblower.
A House panel found more than $24 million taken by members of the Biden family through more than 20 shell companies, most of which came from foreign nationals and foreign entities in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania and China.
“What is Biden selling to make all this money? Joe Biden himself,” Comer said, arguing that the then-vice president “talked, had dinner and built relationships” with friends Hunter and James Biden.
Biden, 80, has since made false statements about his involvement with family members’ businesses “at least 10 times,” according to Comer.
James Comer rips into Democrats’ lack of interest in Biden family activities. Annabelle Gordon / CNP / SplashNews.com
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) highlighted how his committee worked with two IRS tax investigators, Gary Shapley and Jason Ziegler, to release hundreds of documents detailing a wide-ranging investigation into the first child’s alleged financial crimes, including potential money laundering illegal and illegal foreign lobbying.
“In a newly released message to Chinese business executives, Hunter Biden mentioned keeping the ‘key to my family’s only asset’ — that asset: Joe Biden,” Smith said.
Smith went on to share that Ways and Means has obtained emails, text messages and worksheets produced by Shapley and Ziegler as part of the investigation into the first son they say slipped earlier this year.
“This is a story as old as time. A politician takes actions that make money for his family, and then he tries to hide it,” explained Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in his opening statement, which focused on Hunter Biden’s board position at Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings.
“[T]he executive at Burisma asked Hunter Biden to consider and help them with the pressure they are facing from prosecutors in Ukraine,” he said. “Joe Biden went to Ukraine on December 9, 2015, gave this speech attacking the prosecutor who started the process of impeaching the man.”
Following opening statements, attention turned to four witnesses – three of whom were invited by Republicans.
But while witnesses expressed concern over the treatment of IRS whistleblowers and concerns over the eldest son’s blatant “influence-peddling” overseas and the president’s dishonesty, no one is yet ready to say that the threshold for impeachment has been met.
Democrats seized on the remarks, with Oversight committee member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) in closing remarks saying “I’m afraid the majority forgot to bring the evidence with them today” while praising the “surprising honesty and consensus on the questions.”
AOC and Jamie Raskin teamed up to try to undermine Republicans during fiery hearings.Ron Sachs – CNP / MEGA
Raskin went on to liken the ordeal to a “Seinfeld prosecution,” saying it was “nothing, apparently.”
Progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) managed to get three Republican-handpicked witnesses on the record to confirm that they did not “present any first-hand witness accounts of crimes committed by the president.”
“This is the Republican’s own witness! Acknowledging that there is no evidence to justify this impeachment action [.] Proving this is nothing more than a baseless wild goose chase,” White House spokesman Ian Sams posted on social media.
Comer dismissed criticism from Democrats after the hearing, insisting that his colleagues were nowhere near drafting articles of impeachment against the president.
“My mission is to follow the money… and that’s what we’re doing,” he told reporters. “Now, we have reached that point, because of the obstacles, we have to go to the impeachment inquiry. And obviously, our witnesses all testified, yes, you have a basis for an impeachment inquiry. So this is not about impeachment, or it would be in the next committee room. It will come in [the] Judiciary [Committee].”
Indeed Republican witnesses agreed there was enough smoke around Biden for an official investigation.
Jim Jordan chairs the Judiciary Committee, which is one of three panels tasked with overseeing the impeachment inquiry. Annabelle Gordon / CNP / SplashNews.com
“The key here that the committee has to look at is whether they can establish relationships with influence peddlers, which is a form of bribery,” said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley.
“This is how an investigation is supposed to work,” Comer argued in his closing statement. “I know some are confused about congressional investigations because Democratic investigations in the past have been about looking at conclusions first, and cherry-picking evidence to fit that narrative.”
Comer then criticized the Democrats for failing to address some basic facts about the case, namely the millions of dollars the Biden family collected from abroad.
Like most Capitol Hill hearings on contentious matters, most of the six-hour proceedings were devoted to political insults, blame-trading and political zingers. Often, witnesses go for minutes at a time without speaking.
Democrats have often called former President Donald Trump the “puppet master” behind Thursday’s hearing, along with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Twice, motions were introduced to subpoena Trump’s former lawyers and both times they were voted on along party lines.
Liberal lawmakers also seized almost every opportunity to launch procedural hurdles against the GOP, crying foul about politically charged comments from across the aisle, which they argued violated the rules.
Hunter Biden’s legal time has begun to launch a lawsuit against various figures who helped distribute his laptop.AFP via Getty Images
“Mr. Chairman, our colleague from Georgia has introduced before the pornographic exhibition and displayed things that are completely inappropriate for children who might be watching,” Raskin moaned at one point.
“Bathing suits not appropriate, Mr. Raskin?” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) fired back as she tried to ask if the eldest son who allegedly ran off with an escort was breaking the law.
President Biden vehemently denied interfering in his son’s business affairs.Getty Images
Republicans hit back at Democrats’ downplaying of the investigation, with Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) asked Turley: “Have you ever answered a call from a parent or put them on speaker and then proceeded to discuss the weather?”
“No,” Turley replied as laughter echoed through the hearing room.
Toward the end of the hearing, Jordan highlighted an email from the Obama administration in which an official wrote to former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, saying they were impressed by the government’s anti-corruption agenda.
Joe Biden then pushed for Shokin’s removal a few months later. Republicans have sought to link it to Hunter Biden’s business interests with Burisma holdings, which are in Shokin’s crosshairs.
The White House insists that the then-vice president did not push to oust Shokin to benefit his son’s colleagues.
Comer has not publicly set a date for the next impeachment inquiry hearing, but said he hopes to obtain another set of bank records he recently subpoenaed.
Before that happens, Congress may have to contend with a partial government shutdown, which will begin at 11:59 p.m. Saturday.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
