Another Reason To Flip The House

Bad faith MAGAt cultists in the House of Representatives have been looking for payback for the convicted felon Malignant Loser's two impeachments ever since they came to power.  Lacking any real evidence of malfeasance from President Biden, they proceeded nonetheless.  Quoting Steve Benen at length:

American history is filled with examples of ridiculous congressional investigations, but the House GOP’s crusade against President Joe Biden is certainly among the most cringeworthy. Even plenty of Republicans have admitted as much.

Following months of humiliating failures, Politico reported in the spring that behind the scenes, GOP officials were quietly admitting that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s impeachment crusade had been “hobbled by embarrassing setbacks.” Punchbowl News, meanwhile, quoted a House Republican leadership aide who said Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan were “becoming the chairmen who cried wolf.”

The more they tried to get their investigation back on track, the more embarrassing their investigation became.

It now appears the entire effort has run its course and come to an ignominious end. NBC News reported:

The Republican-led House committees investigating whether to impeach President Joe Biden released their long-awaited report about their findings Monday morning, arguing that Biden has committed impeachable conduct but deferring to the full House on whether to pursue a formal impeachment.

The full, 291-page document is available online, but by any fair measure, it lands with a thud: The House Republicans’ report breaks no new ground and presented no credible evidence of wrongdoing. What’s more, Comer, Jordan, et al. released the findings while members are still on vacation and Capitol Hill is quiet, probably in the hopes of embarrassing the incumbent president ahead of his appearance at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention.

Of course, in order to actually embarrass Biden, the report would have to include damaging information. This one does not.

Making matters worse, it has no doubt occurred to the far-right committee chairmen that they’ve failed on multiple levels: House Republicans spent a year and a half desperately searching for evidence of crimes that were never committed, in the hopes of undermining a Democratic incumbent’s re-election plans that were ultimately put aside.

In other words, GOP lawmakers failed to make a compelling case against a candidate who’s retiring anyway.

So, what happens now? In theory, the impeachment report will be referred to House Republican leaders who will decide whether to hold an impeachment vote against the president. In practice, GOP leaders know they don’t have the votes to impeach the president without credible evidence of wrongdoing, so this entire misguided ordeal will likely fade into oblivion.

As for Comer’s reputation, it appears unlikely to recover. The Kentuckian’s fellow Republicans have used words like “clueless” and “embarrassing” to describe his anti-Biden investigation, and the scope and scale of his fiasco won’t soon be forgotten.

Voters shouldn't forget how this Republican- led Congress has wasted its time on political hit jobs and internal loon warfare instead of addressing the issues of real importance to the American public (remember the bipartisan immigration reform bill?).  This baseless "impeachment" report, engineered by the likes of "Clouseau" Comer and Gym Jordan, is just the latest reason why voters need to flip the House of Representatives to Democrats in November and see what it's like to have intelligent adults in charge.

Hunter Hunter Comer's Shell Shock

 

It seems the bumbling Inspector Clouseau of the Biden impeachment inquiry, Kentucky MAGAt Republican Rep. James "The Bumbler" Comer has been caught in a little (shocking!) hypocrisy.  From the Associated Press:

Rep. James Comer, a multimillionaire farmer, boasts of being one of the largest landholders near his rural Kentucky hometown, and he has meticulously documented nearly all of his landholdings on congressional financial disclosure documents – roughly 1,600 acres (645 hectares) in all.

But there are 6 acres (2.4 hectares) that he bought in 2015 and co-owns with a longtime campaign contributor that he has treated differently, transferring his ownership to Farm Team Properties, a shell company he co-owns with his wife.

Interviews and records reviewed by The Associated Press provide new insights into the financial deal, which risks undercutting the force of some of Comer’s central arguments in his impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden. For months, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and his Republican colleagues have been pounding Biden, a Democrat, for how his relatives traded on their famous name to secure business deals.

In particular, Comer has attacked some Biden family members, including the president’s son Hunter, over their use of shell companies that appear designed to obscure millions of dollars in earnings they received from shadowy middlemen and foreign interests.

Such companies typically exist only on paper and are formed to hold an asset, like real estate. Their opaque structures are often designed to help hide ownership of property and other assets.

The companies used by the Bidens are already playing a central role in the impeachment investigation, which is expected to gain velocity after House Republicans voted Wednesday to formally authorize the probe. The vote follows the federal indictment last week of Biden’s son Hunter on charges he engaged in a scheme to avoid paying taxes on his earnings through the companies.

But as Comer works to “deliver the transparency and accountability that the American people demand” through the GOP’s investigation, his own finances and relationships have begun to draw notice, too, including his ties to prominent local figures who have complicated pasts not all that dissimilar to some of those caught up in his Biden probe... (our emphasis)

There's more at the link.  If only this shitgibbon were capable of shame.

(Photo:  The Bumbler / via Rolling Stone)

Hunting Hunter: Another Shot In The Foot

Inept, radical and hypocritical Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have been trying since last January to find imaginary dirt on either President Biden or his son Hunter for the purposes of a fraudulent, retaliatory impeachment of the President. Of course, they've come up with zip. They demanded that Hunter Biden appear for a closed door deposition, which they could later manipulate and quote from selectively and maliciously. Imagine their embarrassment when Hunter Biden said he'd be happy to testify, but only in public, something the MAGA crew wanted to avoid at all costs. From MSNBC's Hayes Brown:

"Republicans have demanded that Hunter Biden appear on Dec. 13 for a closed-door deposition to discuss his past business dealings and whether his father ever improperly used his influence while in office to boost those endeavors.

But rather than fight the subpoena, Hunter Biden appears eager, maybe too eager, to appear before the GOP-led panel. In a letter from his lawyer on Tuesday, Biden not only agreed to testify but to do so in an open committee session. And in his response, Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., made clear how caught off guard he was — and how unprepared he is to back up his tough talk in public."  (our emphasis)

Fearing that they wouldn't be able to control the narrative in a public hearing, Comer & Co. are now faced with the problem of explaining why a public hearing with Biden is worse than their closed door deposition. Here's an example of what they wanted to do to Hunter Biden with their deposition scheme:

"The Oversight Committee has already held numerous closed-door interviews with people in the Bidens’ orbit, including Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner. Archer’s interview, in particular, was exploited by Republicans who teased out portions that sounded damning, including that Joe Biden had spoken numerous times with his sons’ business associates. Once the full transcripts were released, however, it became clear just how much of a stretch the GOP was making in their characterization of Archer’s testimony as damning for the president."  (our emphasis)

Of course, in an open hearing, Republicans would be free to fling their conspiracies and innuendo at Biden, but Biden and Dems on the Committee would be able to push back and fact check in real time, blunting the intended effect of slanderous Republican accusations. It's clear that's what they're afraid of, with their year-long buffoonish attempt to smear President Biden and his son crashing in flames.

BONUS:  More on "James Comer's most dishonest attack yet."

(photo: James "Wile E. Coyote" Comer and Hunter Biden)

Republicans' "Whistleblower" Indicted As Agent For China

Well, you have to give them some credit:  when their phony "investigations" blow up in Republicans' faces, they really go nuclear:

A “whistleblower” who has repeatedly accused the Bidens of corruption has been charged by the Justice Department with arms trafficking, acting as a foreign agent for China and violating Iran sanctions.

Gal Luft, who is a citizen of both the United States and Israel, is accused of paying a former adviser to Donald Trump on behalf of principals in China in 2016 without registering as a foreign agent.

Prosecutors say that Mr Luft pushed the former government employee, who is not named, to push policies that were favourable to China.

They also allege that he set up meetings between officials of Iran and a Chinese energy company to discuss oil deals, which would violate US sanctions.

They also alleged that Mr Luft “conspired with others and attempted to broker illicit arms transactions with, among others, certain Chinese individuals and entities” by working as a middleman to find both buyers and sellers for “certain weapons and other materials” in violation of the US Arms Control Act. [snip]

Mr Luft, 57, was arrested in Cyprus in February on US charges but fled after being released on bail while awaiting extradition and is not currently in US custody.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement that Mr Luft “engaged in multiple, serious criminal schemes”.

“He subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States to seek to promote Chinese policies by acting through a former high-ranking U.S. Government official; he acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil; and he told multiple lies about his crimes to law enforcement,” Mr Williams said.  [snip]

Kyle Herrig, the executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project, said in a statement that the case of Mr Luft shows there is “nothing more corrupt than the lengths MAGA Republicans will go to preserve and expand their own power, including consorting with other corrupt actors – even alleged spies for the Chinese Communist Party”.

“Do James Comer, Jim Jordan and Kevin McCarthy lack a single ounce of shame? Apparently so. The case against President Biden was built on nothing more than conspiracy theories to begin with, but over the past few weeks we’ve seen their allegations crumble even more,” he said. “Today’s charges add to six months of misery and failure for MAGA Republicans whose political stunts have failed to uncover a single piece of evidence linking President Biden to any wrongdoing whatsoever”...

No wonder Clouseau Comer and his fellow seditionists couldn't locate their "whistleblower" Luft.  He jumped bail and was on the lam from the law, just like a common Republican.

The comeback, of course, will be that the Justice Department is prosecuting Luft in order to cover up the "Biden corruption scandal."  So, you can believe the Republicans, or you can believe your lying eyes.

BONUS:  Meanwhile, the Malignant Loser- appointed prosecutor who arranged the plea deal for Hunter Biden, David  Weiss, contradicts claims by another Republican "whistleblower" that he was blocked from bringing more serious charges.  Justice and truth 2,  GQP liars and nihilists 0.

(Photo:  Clouseau Comer and Gym Jordan on the case! Alex Wong/ Getty Images)

Comer's Biden "Investigation" Comes Up Empty

House Oversight Committee chair James "Gomer" Comer (Sedition-KY) was supposed to be the lead in the Republican / Shooters / Sedition party's attack on the Biden family. He promised the disclosure of a "secret" FBI report after badgering the FBI for the document and issuing a subpoena for it. Much like the Benghazi Benghazi BENGHAZI ! farce in 2015 meant to bring Hillary Clinton's poll numbers down, Comer's quest has apparently produced bupkis:

"The FBI and Justice Department under then-Attorney General William P. Barr reviewed allegations from a confidential informant about Joe Biden and his family, and they determined there were no grounds for further investigative steps, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and other people familiar with the investigation.

Raskin revealed the information about the investigation after he and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Monday reviewed a document containing details of the allegation. That document has been at the center of a weeks-long back and forth between the FBI and Comer, who last month sought to force the agency to produce the document via a subpoena." (our emphasis)

What makes this especially piquant is that the investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Trump Justice Department and then Attorney General Bill "Low" Barr:

"According to people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail sensitive information, the allegation in the document came to the FBI through the Pittsburgh field office, where Barr had created a channel for allegations involving Ukraine. That included materials Rudy Giuliani — who was then President Donald Trump’s personal attorney — had gathered from Ukrainian sources claiming to have damaging information about Biden and his family.

The allegation contained in the document was reviewed by the FBI at the time and was found to not be supported by facts, and the investigation was subsequently dropped with the Trump Justice Department’s sign-off, according to the people familiar with the investigation." (our emphasis)

It's noteworthy that some of the materials in question were gathered / concocted by the Malignant Loser's corrupt, hair dye-leaking loon and predator consigliere Rudy "Toot Toot" Giuliani, whose intrigue in Ukraine was directly responsible for the charges against the Malignant Loser in his first impeachment. However, if you think this will stop Comer from chasing Biden windmills, you'd be mistaken: 

"After the two lawmakers reviewed the document in a secure area on Capitol Hill on Monday, Comer announced that House Republicans would still pursue holding FBI Director Christopher A. Wray in contempt of Congress."

(photo: Drew Angerer / Getty Images) 

 

QOTD -- Saying The Quiet Part Loud (Again)

 

“You look at the polling, and right now Donald Trump is seven points ahead of Joe Biden and trending upward, Joe Biden’s trending downward. And I believe that the media is looking around, scratching their head, and they’re realizing that the American people are keeping up with our investigation. And they realize there’s something wrong here.” --  Republican/ MAGAt Rep. James Comer (Sedition-KY), on Fox "News" yesterday, saying the quiet part loud about why his House Oversight Committee is "investigating" President Biden and his family:  it's all about helping the Malignant Loser in 2024.  (Echoes of the nothingburger Benghazi! Benghazi!! Benghazi!!! hearings the Republican rats ran in 2015 in the lead- up to the 2016 election in order to damage Hilary Clinton's chances.)  Also, since Republican MAGAts can't move their lips without lying, take the "polling" Comer cites with a barrel of salt.  Even if you should take polls this far out from the election seriously, they're all over the place and obviously aren't reflective of what the state of the election might be with the Malignant Loser in graver legal peril.