Washington, D.C. (November 8, 2023)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, released the following statement on Chairman Comer’s recent subpoenas as part of Republicans’ baseless impeachment effort: 

“Yesterday, American voters—in Chairman Comer’s home state of Kentucky and all over the country—repudiated the ideological extremism and fact-free political fanaticism that Donald Trump has implanted in the brain of the Republican Party.  Alas, today Chairman Comer demonstrates that the Republican Party is still listening to Trump and is definitely not listening to America.

“Even after yesterday’s electoral pasting, even after their buffoonish impeachment hearing in which their own witnesses testified that they saw no crime at all, much less evidence of an impeachable offense, in nine months of the majority’s investigation of President Biden, and even after an interview in which Special Counsel David Weiss thoroughly debunked Republicans’ empty claims of political interference in the Hunter Biden investigation, Chairman Comer has decided what he needs to jump-start this epic flop of an investigation is a big pile of subpoenas and interview requests, all to private citizens.

“For all the Chairman’s impressive acrobatic efforts to conceal evidence and turn somersaults around the facts, all the voluminous information gathered discredits their false claims about President Biden.  The Committee has already obtained the personal financial records of the three private citizens Chairman Comer has subpoenaed: the President’s brother, his son, and one of their business partners, Rob Walker.  The Committee also has Mr. Walker’s interview with the FBI and the summary of his interview with the IRS, which Republicans have already released.  These subpoenas and interview requests are yet further proof that this sham impeachment inquiry is driven only by the demands of the vengeful and prevaricating Donald Trump.  

“At the heart of this impeachment inquiry is a lie concocted and promoted by Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani.  Rather than come clean with the American people, Committee Republicans continue to hide the truth by repeatedly blocking subpoenas Democrats have demanded of Rudy Giuliani and his right-hand man, Lev Parnas, who refuses to participate in this ridiculous fraud any longer.  This inquiry runs on lies, deception, and evasion.  Most recently, Chairman Comer buried key facts to invent a ridiculous narrative about two simple transactions: short-term loans between two brothers, neither of whom held public office, which were promptly repaid. 

“I keep hearing from GOP colleagues that their plan is to create a ‘master narrative’ that would equal what the January 6 Select Committee did.  But that ‘master narrative’ was based on finding the truth.  This ‘master narrative’ is about constructing a lie.  And, yet, the truth is a resilient, stubborn thing, and the facts here are clear: there is no evidence of any wrongdoing by President Biden.”

Click here to read additional information from Oversight Democrats.

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