Republicans Are Utilizing Impeachment Inquiry to Launder International Disinformation

After the bombshell revelations that Home Republican Chairs James Comer and Jim Jordan had been duped by Russian spies into laundering Putin based mostly lies about President Biden, an image is coming collectively about the whole Republican based mostly impeachment undertaking towards Biden getting used to launder overseas disinformation.

That is particularly pertinent as this identical physique refuses to fund assist to Ukraine in its struggle towards Russia’s unlawful invasion, at a time when to fail to take action compromises U.S. nationwide safety and will effectively inevitably draw the U.S. right into a troops on the bottom battle to defend our allies.

In July, Chairman Comer’s star whistleblower turned out to be an agent for Chinese language pursuits (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-charges-against-co-director-think-tank-acting-unregistered) and a weapons trafficker on the run from a federal indictment. Final week, Chairman Comer’s vaunted Kind FD-1023 turned out to be “a tissue of lies (https://oversightdemocrats.home.gov/information/press-releases/ranking-member-raskin-calls-on-house-republicans-to-end-impeachment-inquiry)” advised to the FBI by a person with ties to Russian intelligence (https://newrepublic.com/publish/179163/republicans-star-hunter-biden-witness-epic-disaster). This impeachment inquiry will not be merely a sham and an utter waste of congressional time and taxpayer {dollars}, it’s more and more obvious that it has grow to be a platform for echoing and amplifying overseas misinformation (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/14/trump-russia-guiliani-biden-ukraine/).

This devastating blow to the GOP’s “already struggling (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/us/politics/biden-impeachment-republicans-informant.html)” impeachment effort got here “after witness after witness (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/46psbv7z4sm2ay534d8qf/20240215-Newshour-Witnesses-Say-No-Proof.mp4?rlkey=ngefojoqg5t812dib9zjlv042&dl=0)…have primarily mentioned that there isn’t any proof that President Biden was concerned in any of Hunter Biden’s enterprise dealings.”
 
Republicans’ personal witnesses have repeatedly “undercut Republican allegations (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.cnn.com/2024/01/26/politics/john-robinson-walker-house-republican-interview/index.html__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUuipg52k$)” towards Joe Biden, together with Tony Bobulinski (https://abcnews.go.com/US/raskin-blasts-gops-top-biden-impeachment-witness-tony/story?id=107350891), Karen Tramontano (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/karen-tramontano-deposition-impeachment-inquiry-biden_n_65ca7209e4b0fb721d6230e4?ijk), Joseph Langston (https://x.com/stephen_neukam/standing/1753168709487575482?s=20), Eric Schwerin (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/abcnews.go.com/US/hunter-biden-business-associate-tells-house-oversight-committee/story?id=106797455__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUj0q3zLH$), Rob Walker (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.axios.com/2024/01/26/hunter-biden-rob-walker-deposition-congress__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUrOruK3D$), Mervyn Yan (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-blast-impeachment-inquiry-gop-witness-unaware-joe-biden-role-family-biz__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUvjPdZri$), Kevin Morris (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/s-kevin-morris-says-paid-hunter-bidens-back-taxes-rcna135277__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUrl5EiqQ$), Georges Berges (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/another-witness-disappoints-gop-anti-biden-investigation-rcna133222__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUoTblS77$), and Carol Fox (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.usatoday.com/story/information/politics/2023/12/19/house-impeachment-inquiry-witness-no-evidence-joe-biden/71973729007/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUjbC4QjF$), in addition to Devon Archer (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.factcheck.org/2023/08/republicans-oversell-archers-testimony-about-hunter-and-joe-biden/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUsE3UNK1$) and a former FBI particular agent (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.reuters.com/world/us/former-fbi-agent-says-he-was-not-aware-interference-hunter-biden-probe-2023-08-14/__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!I68uq3-ZnuCVMBzQgJkk37btm4aHPi5_hJ4INNV8fZqimN7lT-7fuPa99KQPlvylCgtzSmsmozB6PTIPdlnSF4598cixUgvgU6gh$) final summer season. Chairmen Jordan and Comer have solely succeeded in uncovering “exculpatory,” “exonerating” proof and (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/20/biden-impeachment-inquiry-james-hunter-testimony/) have “compiled an intensive file of sworn statements from firsthand witnesses saying the president was by no means concerned.”
 
Within the letter that Chairmen Jordan and Comer despatched alongside their subpoena to Jim Biden, the Chairmen said (https://oversight.home.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Letter-to-JamesBiden-11.8.23-1.pdf) that they sought info associated as to whether “Joe Biden, as Vice President and/or President” took any official motion or abused his public workplace in trade for funds to counterpoint him or his household.
 
The proof couldn’t be any clearer: Joe Biden was not concerned in, didn’t revenue from, and took no official motion to learn his household’s enterprise dealings. Tens of 1000’s of pages of financial institution information, greater than 70,000 pages of paperwork from the Nationwide Archives, greater than 2,000 pages of Suspicious Exercise Reviews (SARs), and testimony from greater than 10 witnesses have established that there isn’t any proof of wrongdoing by President Biden, a lot much less an impeachable offense.
 
Chairman Comer has cited Jim and Hunter Biden’s reliable (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/17/how-republicans-overhype-findings-their-hunter-biden-probe/) enterprise dealings with CEFC to falsely declare, “Joe Biden was working for China (https://x.com/NEWSMAX/standing/1757762949718897132?s=20),” however witness testimony proves that Joe Biden was not concerned in that enterprise (or another).
    •    Mervyn Yan (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/20/biden-impeachment-inquiry-james-hunter-testimony/), “who labored as a advisor for CEFC a
nd was typically an middleman with the Bidens, testified that Hunter by no means talked about his father or used him to rearrange any offers. Neither Hunter nor James raised the concept of Joe Biden being a part of the association, he added, and he has no purpose to consider the previous vp benefited financially.” Financial institution information produced to the Committee associated to Yan’s work with Hunter and Jim Biden affirm the
legitimacy (https://www.factcheck.org/2023/12/gop-misleading-claims-in-biden-impeachment-investigation/)
of their enterprise associated to CEFC.

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    •    
“When pressed,
(Tony) Bobulinski (https://abcnews.go.com/US/raskin-blasts-gops-top-biden-impeachment-witness-tony/story?id=107350891)
— who Comer has described as ‘the one sincere, credible man that was concerned with the Bidens’ — couldn’t level to direct proof that Joe Biden was concerned in his household’s enterprise dealings. (…) When Republican investigators requested Bobulinski to explain his two interactions with Joe Biden, who was a personal citizen on the time, Bobulinski mentioned the conferences didn’t embody any direct dialogue of any involvement within the enterprise enterprise by Hunter Biden, James Biden, or two different companions, James Gilliar and Rob Walker.” Bobulinski
additionally testified (https://oversightdemocrats.home.gov/websites/democrats.oversight.home.gov/information/2024-02-20.JBRpercent20topercent20Passantinopercent20repercent20Bobulinski.pdf)
that their CEFC associated enterprise enterprise was “reliable,” and none of his disclosures to the enterprise’s financial institution, JPMorgan Chase, which Bobulinski said had been “100%” truthful and forthcoming, ever prompt that President Biden would have any function within the enterprise. Moreover, Bobulinski
testified (https://oversightdemocrats.home.gov/websites/democrats.oversight.home.gov/information/2024-02-20.JBRpercent20topercent20Passantinopercent20repercent20Bobulinski.pdf)
that Hunter Biden and James Biden didn’t point out that Joe Biden would revenue from their enterprise.

    •    
Rob Walker (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/20/biden-impeachment-inquiry-james-hunter-testimony/)
, “one other longtime affiliate of Hunter Biden, testified that the president was not concerned in, didn’t revenue from, and took no official actions associated to his household’s enterprise dealings.” In regard to a ten-minute “drop-by” in 2017 by Joe Biden, then a personal citizen, on the 4 Seasons Lodge in D.C., Walker defined that Joe Biden merely exchanged pleasantries with everybody and left and that
no enterprise was mentioned whereas Joe Biden was current (https://oversightdemocrats.home.gov/websites/democrats.oversight.home.gov/information/2024-02-12.COApercent20HJCpercent20DEMpercent20Memopercent20repercent20Transcribedpercent20Interviews.pdf)
.

    •    
James Gilliar (https://www.wsj.com/articles/hunter-bidens-ex-business-partner-alleges-father-knew-about-venture-11603421247)
, one other SinoHawk affiliate, was additionally unequivocal: “I’m unaware of any involvement at anytime of the previous Vice President.” 

    •    
Eric Schwerin (https://abcnews.go.com/US/hunter-biden-business-associate-tells-house-oversight-committee/story?id=106797455)
, Hunter Biden’s former enterprise affiliate who carried out a variety of administrative and bookkeeping duties for then-Vice President Biden, and thus had entry to the Vice President’s financial institution information from 2009 to 2017, made clear that Joe Biden had no involvement in—and took no official actions to advance—any enterprise performed by any of then-Vice President Biden’s members of the family.

 
Republicans have falsely tried to counsel that Joe Biden was concerned in Jim Biden’s enterprise with Americore.

    •    
Carol Fox (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/20/biden-impeachment-inquiry-james-hunter-testimony/)
, “the trustee within the firm’s chapter proceedings, testified that she had no proof that Joe Biden was concerned in Americore or its chapter,” nor any of James Biden’s enterprise dealings. Fox made clear that she had no firsthand information of any use by Jim Biden of political affect to learn Americore
nor any official motion taken by Joe Biden on the corporate’s behalf (https://oversightdemocrats.home.gov/websites/democrats.oversight.home.gov/information/2024-02-12.COApercent20HJCpercent20DEMpercent20Memopercent20repercent20Transcribedpercent20Interviews.pdf)
.

    •    
Throughout the whole interval wherein Jim Biden was concerned with Americore (2017-18), Joe Biden was not in workplace and had not even but introduced his presidential marketing campaign.

 
Comer and Jordan have additionally misrepresented mortgage repayments in a failed try to incriminate President Biden.

    •    
“
(Financial institution) information on file with the Home Oversight Committee (https://thehill.com/homenews/home/4370548-gop-impeachment-strategy-bets-big-on-bribery-allegations/)
” present that in 2017 and 2018, whereas Joe Biden was not in workplace and commenced incomes vital earnings from
ebook offers and talking engagements (https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/politics/fact-check-byron-donalds-makes-inaccurate-claim-about-bidens-income-to-argue-he-couldnt-legitimately-afford-loan/index.html)
, he supplied two short-term loans to his brother, James, who repaid every mortgage inside two months.  

    •    
This proof has been affirmed by many reality checkers and independents information shops, together with
CNN Truth Test (https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/politics/fact-check-evidence-supports-democrats-case-that-joe-biden-made-a-personal-loan-to-his-brother/index.html)
,
USA At the moment (https://www.usatoday.com/story/information/politics/2023/11/08/joe-biden-impeachment-inquiry-hunter-james-subpoena/71504992007/)
,
The Washington Examiner (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/information/home/bank-records-show-joe-biden-paid-james-biden)
,
Each day Mail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/information/article-12726277/Hunter-James-Biden-called-sit-DEPOSITIONS-impeachment-investigation-Republicans-warn-WIFE-presidents-son-ex-lover-Hallie-called-interviews-ramp-probe.html)
,
FactCheck.org (https://www.factcheck.org/2023/10/cherry-picking-influence-payment-from-james-to-joe-biden/)
,
Politico (https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/11/08/congress/hunter-biden-subpoenaed-00126137)
,
PolitiFact (https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/nov/14/whats-behind-republicans-claim-that-joe-biden-rece/)
,
Washington Publish (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/10/biden-impeachment-inquiry-speaker-johnson/)
, and
New York Instances (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/us/politics/james-hunter-biden-house-subpoenas.html)
.

 
Republicans proceed to dismiss the information and proof and attempt to smear the Biden household. Most alarmingly, they
unflinchingly (https://x.com/costellojoseph_/standing/1760308140044669064?s=20)
promote
overseas misinformation (https://dwelling.treasury.gov/information/press-releases/sm1118)
in service of a doomed impeachment inquiry pushed not by information or proof however by Trump’s
repeated calls for (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/14/trump-urges-congress-impeach-biden/)
for political retribution.