This week showed yet again what happens when facts prevail. First, it showed how Republicans’ conspiracy theories are dangerous not just for our democracy, but to our economy as well. Then, it showed how House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has embarrassed himself so thoroughly that he should be added to the definition of shambles in the dictionary. In the end the facts will always come first.
How Embarrassing: James Comer’s Witness Debunks His Conspiracy Theories
JAMES COMER’S MUCH HYPED WITNESS DEBUNKED HIS CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN
NBC News: “Hunter Biden business associate testifies he has no knowledge of wrongdoing by Joe Biden”
- NBC News: “But the Transcripts Appear To Back Up Democrats, Including Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., And Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., Who Have Argued That Comer’s Investigation Into The Bidens Has Revealed No Direct Evidence That Joe Biden Was Involved In His Son’s Business Dealings, Was Influenced By Them Or Broke The Law.” “Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released Archer’s 141-page transcript on the same day former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington for charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The testimony hands Republicans descriptive details about Hunter Biden and more ammunition as they accuse the Justice Department of aggressively prosecuting Trump for multiple crimes while going easy on Hunter Biden on federal tax and other charges. But the transcripts appear to back up Democrats, including Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who have argued that Comer’s investigation into the Bidens has revealed no direct evidence that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s business dealings, was influenced by them or broke the law.” [NBC News, 8/3/23]
Washington Post (Column): “Devon Archer said the opposite of what Republicans claimed”
- Washington Post’s Phillip Bump: “What Archer Said Not Only Doesn’t Comport With The Presentations Made By Comer And Jordan On Television (Which Were Obviously Wrong From The Outset), His Testimony Undermines The Idea That Burisma Wanted Shokin Fired, That Zlochevsky Paid Any Bribe — And, Crucially, That Joe Biden Was Involved In Any Of This.” “On Thursday, the Oversight Committee released a transcript of Archer’s testimony — testimony for which Comer wasn’t present. What Archer said not only doesn’t comport with the presentations made by Comer and Jordan on television (which were obviously wrong from the outset), his testimony undermines the idea that Burisma wanted Shokin fired, that Zlochevsky paid any bribe — and, crucially, that Joe Biden was involved in any of this.”
- Washington Post’s Phillip Bump: “”That’s The Pattern Here. Comer And Jordan And Others Hype Claims Of Joe Biden’s Involvement In Hunter Biden’s Work Only To See Those Claims Collapse As More Information Is Made Public.” “That’s the pattern here. Comer and Jordan and others hype claims of Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s work only to see those claims collapse as more information is made public. Devon Archer’s testimony was hailed as a central breakthrough in implicating Joe Biden. Instead, it has a top ally of Hunter Biden stating under penalty of perjury that Joe Biden was not involved in Hunter Biden’s business and that Biden’s trip to Ukraine in 2015 was not centered on protecting Burisma at all. Very much contrary to what those leading Republicans implied on Fox News.” [Washington Post, Phillip Bump, 8/3/23]
Huffington Post: “Star Witness Undercuts Republican Corruption Case Against Joe Biden”
Washington Post (Column): “Another GOP ‘bombshell’ fails to detonate”
MSNBC: “The GOP’s latest anti-Biden witness extends the party’s losing streak”
Rep. Andy Biggs Admitted That Devon Archer Did Not Know Anything About Republicans’ Unsubstantiated Claims About An Unverified Tip In An FD-1023 Form
Salon: “’Truly stunning”: Republican admits hyped Biden witness ‘didn’t know anything’ about alleged bribe”
- Andy Biggs Admitted That Devon Archer Had No Information On Unverified Claims In An FD-1023 Form. “Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., acknowledged that the Republicans’ widely-hyped witness in their probe of the Biden family’s business dealings ‘didn’t know anything’ about unverified allegations that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden had accepted millions in bribes. […] Biggs, who is pushing for an impeachment inquiry, also acknowledged to reporters that Archer had no information on the unverified claims from an anonymous informant that the Bidens accepted bribes. ‘He didn’t know anything about it,’ Biggs told reporters after the session.” [Salon, 8/1/23]
James Comer Went On Conservative TV To Tout Devon Archer’s Testimony And Suggested It Made His Allegations “More Credible”
Rep. James Comer Claimed The House Oversight Committee’s Interview With Devon Archer Made Comer’s Unsubstantiated Allegations About Joe Biden “More Credible.” “When Rep. James Comer (R-KY) made the rounds on primetime conservative cable TV on Monday night, it was to divulge details of what Republicans called a bombshell day for their investigations into the Biden family. On Capitol Hill earlier that day, members of the House Oversight Committee privately interviewed Devon Archer, a longtime business partner of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. When Fox News’ Sean Hannity asked Comer about ‘major takeaways’ from the interview, Comer delved into what Archer had told the committee, claiming that it had made an alleged Biden ‘bribery scandal… more credible.’” [Daily Beast, 8/2/23]
JAMES COMER ADMITTED HE STILL HAS NO PROOF TO BACK UP HIS CLAIMS ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN
The Independent: “House Oversight Chair Admits GOP Can’t Back Up Biden Bribery Accusations”
- Asked If He Could Prove His Unsubstantiated Claim That Joe Biden Accepted A Bribe From A Ukrainian Energy Executive, James Comers Said “I Sure Hope So.” “Republicans had hoped that Archer, who is due to start a year-and-a-day prison sentence after being convicted of conspiring to defraud a Native American tribe in 2019, would confirm an as-yet uncorroborated allegation made by an alleged FBI informant who claimed that the president and his son each pocketed a $5m bribe from a Ukrainian energy executive who’d also hired Hunter Biden to serve on the board of the company he’d founded, Burisma. Asked whether he would be able to prove the outrageous claim about the president, Mr Comer hesitated. Pressed further by Hannity, he finally replied: ‘I sure hope so. And I do believe that there’s a lot of smoke and when there’s smoke, there’s fire’. No evidence has emerged to support the allegations, which first gained traction in Republican circles when former president Donald Trump attempted to use US military aid to blackmail Ukraine’s president into announcing sham investigations into the Bidens on the eve of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.” [The Independent, 8/2/23]
AlterNet: “’I sure hope so’: Comer unsure if he can prove President Biden took part in bribery scheme”
Mediaite: “Hannity Flat-Out Asks Comer ‘Will You Be Able To Prove’ Biden Took Bribe — Comer: ‘I Sure Hope So’”
MAYBE THAT’S WHY JAMES COMER CHOSE TO RUN AWAY FROM HIS OWN MUCH HYPED WITNESS INTERVIEW
Daily Beast: “James Comer Skipped His Panel’s Big Biden Probe Interview With Devon Archer”
Sources Said Rep. James Comer Did Not Participate In-Person Or Remotely In His Committee’s Interview Of Devon Archer. “According to two sources familiar with the proceeding, Comer failed to show up in person on Capitol Hill, and he did not participate remotely. Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee, has been the face of the GOP’s investigations into Hunter Biden, and he had hyped the Archer interview as perhaps the biggest moment yet in the party’s efforts to prove that the Bidens had leveraged their power and influence for personal gain.” [Daily Beast, 8/2/23]
- A Senior Republican Source Said Rep. James Comer’s Absence From The Devon Archer Interview Was “Like Following A General Into Battle, But The General Decided To Stay Home Instead Of Fight.” “Still, Republicans seemed shocked that the man running the investigation could not find time in his schedule to show up for a key interview, with one source telling The Daily Beast it was like a general abandoning his troops during battle. ‘A few Republicans were disappointed that Chairman Comer didn’t show up to the Archer transcribed interview,’ a senior GOP source told The Daily Beast. ‘It was like following a general into battle, but the general decided to stay home instead of fight,’ the source continued. ‘Especially when there are other Members who would love to have interviewed Archer but aren’t on the Oversight Committee and not allowed in the room.’” [Daily Beast, 8/2/23]
The Independent: “James Comer called Devon Archer’s interview about the Bidens a ‘bombshell’. He wasn’t actually there”
James Comer Posted On Instagram That He Had Been Playing Golf “All Weekend” And A Picture Of Him Getting Dinner With A Friend
Rep. James Comer Spokesperson Said Comer Had Previously Scheduled Commitments With Constituents, But A Post On Comer’s Instagram Page From Sunday Night Showed Him Eating With A Friend After Playing Golf “All Weekend.” “Reached for comment, an Oversight Committee spokesman confirmed Comer was not there. ‘Transcribed interviews are primarily staff led and Chairman Comer had scheduled commitments with constituents in Kentucky,’ they said. […] Ahead of the interview, Comer appeared to have other obligations besides preparing for Archer’s questioning. In a photo posted to his Instagram page on Sunday, Comer was eating barbeque with a friend. The caption said they had been ‘battling all weekend’ in a golf tournament held in his hometown of Tompkinsville, Kentucky.” [Daily Beast, 8/2/23]
James Comer Did Not Correct A Newsmax Host Who Started Their Question About Devon Archer’s Testimony With “You Were In The Room”
When A Newsmax Host Started His Question To Rep. James Comer About The House Oversight Committee’s Interview With Devon Archer With “You Were In The Room,” Comer Did Not Correct The Host. “In another Monday night interview on Newsmax, host Greg Kelly claimed that Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY), who participated in the interview, looked ‘spooked’ afterward. ‘You were in the room,’ Kelly told Comer. ‘Are these guys recognizing that this is beyond their control now?’ ‘The walls are closing in on the Bidens,’ Comer responded. What Comer failed to mention was that he wasn’t actually in the room for his committee’s big interview with Archer.” [Daily Beast, 8/2/23]
RANKING MEMBER JAMIE RASKIN CALLED OUT CHAIR JAMES COMER FOR OPERATING IN BAD FAITH…AGAIN
Axios: “House Oversight chair accused of concealing evidence in Hunter Biden probe”
- House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin Accused Chair James Comer Of Withholding A Transcript The Committee Did With An FBI Supervisory Special Agent Who Worked On The Delaware U.S. Attorney Hunter Biden Case. “The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is slamming Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) for withholding a key transcript from the public, issuing a ‘secret subpoena’ and following a ‘troubling pattern’ of hiding information. Why it matters: An 11-page letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) comes after a blockbuster, triple-committee hearing with IRS agents who claimed DOJ mishandled the Hunter Biden case — and ahead of closed-door testimony by Hunter associate Devon Archer. […] Zoom in: The transcript in question comes from a recent interview — prompted by what Raskin called a ‘secret subpoena’ from Comer — with a former FBI supervisory special agent who was involved in the Hunter Biden investigation led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss. In the interview on July 17, Raskin claims the agent ‘directly undermined Committee Republicans’ narrative of political interference with the Hunter Biden investigation.’” [Axios, 7/28/23]
- House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin Said The An FBI Supervisory Special Agent “Directly Undermined Committee Republicans’ Narrative Of Political Interference With The Hunter Biden Investigation.” “Zoom in: The transcript in question comes from a recent interview — prompted by what Raskin called a ‘secret subpoena’ from Comer — with a former FBI supervisory special agent who was involved in the Hunter Biden investigation led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss. In the interview on July 17, Raskin claims the agent ‘directly undermined Committee Republicans’ narrative of political interference with the Hunter Biden investigation.’” [Axios, 7/28/23]
Rating Agency Cited January 6th In U.S. Credit Downgrade Not Long After House Republicans Played Politics With The Economy
Axios: “Congress gets a timeout after dysfunctional summer”
Reuters: “Fitch highlighted Jan. 6 insurrection with Treasury ahead of US downgrade”
- Fitch Said Deterioration Of U.S. Governance And The January 6th Insurrection Were Factors That Led It To Downgrade The United States’ Credit Rating. “Fitch downgraded the U.S. credit rating due to fiscal concerns, a deterioration in U.S governance, as well as political polarization reflected partly by the Jan. 6 insurrection, Richard Francis, a senior director at Fitch Ratings, told Reuters on Wednesday.” [Reuters, 8/2/23]
- Fitch Reportedly Highlighted The January 6th Insurrection In Meeting With The U.S. Treasury Department. “That deterioration, as well as increased polarization in the country’s political climate, was visible in the Jan. 6 insurrection, which the agency highlighted in meetings with the Treasury ahead of the downgrade.” [Reuters, 8/2/23]
- Fitch Cited Political Brinksmanship About The Debt Ceiling As A Reason For It Downgrading The United States’ Credit Rating. “In a move that took investors by surprise, Fitch downgraded the United States to AA+ from AAA on Tuesday, citing fiscal deterioration over the next three years and repeated down-to-the-wire debt ceiling negotiations that threaten the government’s ability to pay its bills.” [Reuters, 8/2/23]
The Hill: “Fitch cites Jan. 6 riot in US credit downgrade”
CNN Business: “Fitch downgrades US debt on debt ceiling drama and governance worries”
Politico: “Fitch triggers new Jan. 6 political battle with U.S. rating cut”
Business Insider: “The January 6 riot factored into Fitch’s shock US credit rating downgrade, report says”
Forbes: “Fitch Says Jan. 6 Riot Impacted Decision To Downgrade U.S. Credit Rating”
New Republic: “Yet Another Trump ‘Indictment’: Fitch Blames Jan. 6 for U.S. Credit Downgrade”