Democrats call Biden impeachment inquiry 'about nothing,' GOP chair struggles to keep control
Republicans say Americans 'demand accountability."
House Republicans on Thursday held the first public hearing of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Republicans say their House Oversight Committee inquiry is focused on whether Biden was involved in or benefitted from his family's foreign business dealings, among other issues. But so far, they have yet to release evidence that Biden profited from his son Hunter's business deals or was improperly influenced by them.
The White House has blasted the impeachment inquiry as "extreme politics at its worst."
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Witness for Republicans says current evidence doesn't support articles of impeachment
Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor and Republican witness, said in his opening statement he didn't believe impeachment articles against President Biden were warranted at this time.
"I want to emphasize what it is that we're here today for," he said. "This is a question of an impeachment inquiry. It is not a vote on articles of impeachment. In fact, I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment. That is something that inquiry has to establish."
Turley, also a Fox News contributor, went on to say he supported the impeachment inquiry because of the GOP allegations Biden spoke falsely about foreign business deals and possibly benefitted from his family's business dealings -- but emphasized they're "merely allegations and they should not become presumptions of impeachable conduct."
Raskin slams GOP for moving ahead with impeachment amid impending shutdown
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee's ranking member, didn't mince words as he tore into Republicans for moving ahead with an impeachment inquiry when Congress is barreling toward a government shutdown.
"We're 62 hours away from shutting down the government of the United States of America and Republicans are launching an impeachment drive based on a long debunked and discredited lie," Raskin said.
"No foreign enemy's ever been able to shut down the government United States but now MAGA Republicans are about to do just that. But they don't want to cut off public services to the people and deny paychecks to more than a million service members without first launching the impeachment drive, even when they don't have a shred of evidence against President Biden for an impeachable offense."
Raskin went on to point to poster boards filled with recent quotes from Republicans on the spending showdown, including comments like "clown show" and "new low."
Raskin also criticized Republicans for launching an impeachment inquiry without a full House vote, and said they sit "empty handed."
As staffers displayed a poster with former President Donald Trump's posts on his social media platform calling for a government shutdown and Biden's impeachment behind him, Raskin slammed Republicans actions.
"We've moved from a Trump-ordered Republican shutdown to a Trump-ordered impeachment hearing. Back in the reality-based world, the majority sits completely empty handed with no evidence of any presidential wrongdoing, no smoking gun, no gun, no smoke," Raskin said. "If the Republicans had a smoking gun or even a dripping water pistol, they would be presenting it today. But they've got nothing," he said.
Comer accuses Biden of lying, says Americans 'demand accountability'
Comer, in his opening statement, said President Biden lied when he said he never spoke with his family about their business dealings and continued to claim, without direct evidence, that Biden was improperly influenced by his family's business affairs.
"At least 10 times Joe Biden lied to the American people that he never spoke to his family about their business dealings," Comer said. "He lied by telling the American people that there was an absolute wall between his official government duties and his personal life."
Biden has previously unequivocally claimed he "never discussed" business with his son but Republicans have pointed to testimony from Hunter Biden's former business partner Devon Archer, who testified that Joe Biden attended at least two dinners with Hunter Biden's foreign business associates, and frequently spoke with his son over the phone while in the presence of foreign business associates.
But Archer also testified he never heard business being discussed during those interactions. "The conversation is generally about the weather and what it's like in Norway or Paris or wherever he may be. … But it was very casual conversations, not about cap tables or financials or anything like that," Archer testified.
"The American people demand accountability for this culture of corruption," Comer continued in his opening statement. "They demand to know how these schemes have compromised President Biden and threaten our national security. They demand safeguards to be put in place to prevent public officials from selling access to their public office for private gain."
Committee says it will examine emails, bank records, text messages
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will claim in his opening remarks that the committee has "uncovered a mountain of evidence revealing how Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain."
But Republicans, to date, have yet to produce any hard direct evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden or that he was involved in or personally profited from his family's foreign business dealings, or that he improperly influenced policy based on them when he served as vice president.
Comer will also say the panel will examine over "two dozen pieces of evidence" including emails, text messages, bank records and testimony of Biden business associates during today's hearing.
Read more about the various allegations levied by House Republicans here.
What to expect at today's hearing
The committee is expected to reexamine the findings of months of GOP-led investigations and offer an explanation as to why an inquiry is warranted.
"This week, the House Oversight Committee will present evidence uncovered to date and hear from legal and financial experts about crimes the Bidens may have committed as they brought in millions at the expense of U.S. interests," chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement.
The committee will hear from four witnesses, three of whom were called by Republicans to provide testimony.
The panel's 46 members (plus other lawmakers) will be allowed to question the witnesses in a hearing that could stretch on for more than six hours.
Read more about what to expect from the hearing here.