TEXT JOIN TO 77022

WATCH: House Republicans Hold First Biden Impeachment Hearing

By

The Republican-controlled House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees launched their first open impeachment hearing against Joe Biden Thursday morning, weeks after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy allowed the chairmen of those committees to open the inquiry without a floor vote.

The Republicans aim to prove that Joe Biden was an active participant in his son Hunter Biden’s corrupt overseas business dealings.

“An impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden is clearly warranted and Americans demand and deserve answers, transparency, and accountability for this blatant corruption that has jeopardized Americans’ national security,” said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).

Republicans released a 30-page memo laying out the scope of their impeachment inquiry ahead of the hearing.

Democrats argue that the GOP push to impeach Biden is baseless and that Republicans have failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing.

In reality, Republican investigators have produced a mountain of evidence in the form of bank records, suspicious activity reports, wire transfers, text messages, whatsApp messages, emails, voicemails, photos, along with the testimonies of whistleblowers, and Hunter Biden’s former business partners, not to mention Joe Biden’s admission on tape that he got the Ukrainian prosecutor general fired by withholding $1 billion in US loan guarantees in exchange for his ouster.

Witnesses testifying Thursday include Eileen O’Connor, former assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, and George Washington law Professor Jonathan Turley.

Live Updates:

In his opening statement, Comer listed at least ten times Joe Biden lied to the American people about his involvement in his family’s influence-peddling operations.

“At least ten 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. Let’s be clear: there was no wall. The door was wide open to those who purchased what a business associate described as “The Biden Brand.”

Professor Turley backed the Republican effort, testifying that he believes “that the House has passed the threshold for an impeachment inquiry into the conduct of President Biden.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) in his opening statement slammed Republicans for launching an impeachment inquiry without a full House vote, and said they sit “empty handed.”

Republicans pointed out that in 2019 Rep. Raskin didn’t think a House vote was needed to launch an impeachment inquiry.

“There is no formal constitutional or statutory or even the House rule for how an impeachment inquiry is to begin, and so it means different things to different people,” Raskin argued in 2019.

In his opening statement, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan laid out “four key facts” about the case that never change:  1. Hunter Biden sat on Burisma’s board. 2. He was unqualified to do so. 3. Burisma pressured him to get D.C. to act on policy issues in Ukraine. 4. Joe Biden did just that.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said in his opening statement that newly released documents reveal that Joe Biden wasn’t merely aware of the family’s influence peddling operation, he was connected to it.

The Ways and Means Committee released new documents linking Joe Biden to the family’s influence peddling business on Wednesday.

“In a newly released message to a Chinese business executive, Hunter Biden mentions preserving, quote, ‘keys to my family’s only asset.’ That asset, Joe Biden,” Smith said. “Whether it was lunches, phone calls, White House meetings, or official foreign trips, Hunter Biden cashed in by arranging access to Joe Biden.”

 

Professor Turley shot down the Democrats’ bad faith argument that without a money transfer directly to Joe Biden’s bank account, the Republicans have nothing incriminating.

“There have been repeated statements that you have to show that President Biden accepted direct money in order for this to constitute a benefit,” Turley said. “Even in criminal cases that deal with bribery, extortion under the Hobbs Act, the courts actually have rejected that. They said that money going to family members is, in fact, a benefit.”
The professor added, “Obviously, the strongest case is if you have a direct payment, but this idea that you can have millions going to a politician’s family, and that’s NOT a benefit, I think is pretty fallacious.”

Turley said he didn’t understand the opposition to the inquiry because there is a clear basis to look into Joe Biden’s conduct.

Rep. Jordan dismantled the Democrats’ main argument defending Biden’s December 2015 quid pro quo in Ukraine. Biden leveraged $1 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine to pressure the government to fire its Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Shokin had to be fired because he was corrupt. Memos released earlier this month revealed that Biden likely acted alone and counter to US policy when he threatened in December 2015 to withhold $1 billion in US loan guarantees for Ukraine in exchange for Shokin’s ouster.

“He leveraged $1 billion in American tax money and he did so at a time when our government was supportive of the prosecutor,” Jordan said.

Turkey argued that while Washington, D.C., is “awash” with influence peddling, the “size and complexity” of the allegations against Biden and his family are unprecedented.

Rep. Byron Donalds released incriminating new text messages directly linking Joe Biden to the family’s corrupt business activities.

“You’ve been drawn into something for the purpose of protecting Dad—and I know any of the BS money is mine,” Hunter wrote his uncle Jim Biden in March of 2018.

 

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) focused on Hunter Biden’s influence-peddling activities in Romania, where he was hired by a corrupt oligarch while his then V.P. dad was touting the Obama regime’s anti-corruption efforts in the country.

“What was Hunter Biden selling to the Romanian oligarchs for millions of dollars??,” McClain asked. “I’d still like to see a contract.”

Rep. Comer apologized to the witnesses for the Democrats’ behavior at the hearing and explained that the impeachment inquiry status was necessary for Republicans to be able to to continue their investigation unobstructed.

“Americans are counting on us to address public corruption,” he said.

Rep. Jake Turner (R-Kans.) took aim at the Biden White House’s evolving narrative regarding Joe’s involvement in the family business.

“The White House strategy has been to deny, deny, deny, lie, and then counterattack, but the evidence and facts have forced the White House to change its story time and time again,” he said.

“The mischaracterization of what this hearing is about by my colleagues on the other side is astounding,”  Turner added. “Do not allow the White House, or our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, try to convince you that what you’re seeing isn’t the truth.”

Expert Witness Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant, explained that “codenames like ‘the Big Guy’ are often used in financial crimes.”

At the end of the hearing, Rep. Comer announced that he is issuing subpoenas for Hunter and James Biden’s personal and business bank records.

The House Judiciary GOP put out a statement Thursday listing the key facts justifying their impeachment inquiry.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟐𝟒 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.

-From 2014 to 2019, Biden family members and their affiliate companies received over $15 million from foreign companies and foreign nationals in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania, and China. Biden business associates received an additional $9 million.

-This money was transmitted to Biden family members from foreign sources through an exceedingly complex chain of transactions that made it difficult to track the flow of these funds.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

-The President had knowledge of many of his family’s business dealings, and indeed participated in them by having phone calls and attending private dinners—including while he was Vice President—with his family’s business associates and foreign business associates who would pay his family millions of dollars for no identifiable product or service.

-These foreign business associates of the President’s family had interests in countries where then-Vice President Biden—and as President—played, and continues to play, an active role in formulating and implementing the foreign policy of the United States.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

-Weeks before the 2020 Presidential election, then-candidate Joe Biden said on national television that his family did not receive any money from China. That was a lie. Joe Biden not only knew about his family’s work with Chinese nationals, business associates have confirmed that Joe Biden met with his family’s Chinese associates—including while he was Vice President.

-President Biden’s assertions that he never discussed business with his family are false.

 

Related Articles

Jake Sullivan’s Foot-in-Mouth Problem

‘Give Me The Max!’

It’s No Surprise That Democrats in This State are Trying to Ban Trump From Running

Get the news corporate media won't tell you.

Get caught up on today's must read stores!

By submitting your information, you agree to receive exclusive AG+ content, including special promotions, and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms. By providing your phone number and checking the box to opt in, you are consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from my short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

About Debra Heine

Debra Heine is a conservative Catholic mom of six and longtime political pundit. She has written for several conservative news websites over the years, including Breitbart and PJ Media.

Photo: ( L to R) Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rep. James Comer (R-Ky), chairman of the House Oversight Committee and Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 28, 2023. The hearing is the first formal hearing regarding the US House impeachment inquiry into US President Joe Biden. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Join the Discussion