Topline
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a tweet Wednesday he will “invite” President Joe Biden to testify in the committee’s impeachment inquiry against him, even as the probe has yet to identify evidence of Biden engaging in foreign business dealings with his son, Hunter, and Republicans grow increasingly skeptical of the proceedings.
Key Facts
Comer said in the coming days, he will invite the president to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee and “explain why his family received tens of millions of dollars from foreign companies with his assistance.”
Biden hasn’t been subpoenaed and isn’t required to attend the hearing, so it’s unclear if the president intends to accept Comer’s invitation.
A no-show from the president would make the most sense, as his son denied a request last week from the committee to testify at a hearing, with attorneys for Hunter Biden calling the invitation “an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended.”
Republicans have struggled to gather evidence of wrongdoing by the president and have casted doubt on the practicality of the impeachment inquiry following testimonies from witnesses who said the president had no involvement in his son’s business dealings.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Tangent
Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner and a witness in the impeachment probe, testified in a fiery hearing Wednesday and accused Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., of lying to the media. Bobulinski has claimed to possess evidence of the president making a profit from his son’s business dealings in China, though the information has yet to be verified.
Key Background
The impeachment inquiry into Biden was formalized in December, allowing the House Oversight Committee to compel the production of documents or testimony. The inquiry has included allegations accusing the president of influence-peddling to help his son in foreign business dealings that allegedly led to millions of dollars in payments and cars to Hunter Biden. Since being formalized, the probe into the president has lost momentum as Republicans have struggled to produce evidence of misconduct. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, told Fox News this month he believed there was a good case for impeachment, but that he doesn’t think the GOP has “the will to impeach Joe Biden,” citing Republicans in swing districts Biden won who “don’t want to alienate maybe independents or moderates.” Comer has also expressed doubt and admitted the probe likely won’t result in a formal impeachment.
Further Reading
‘Lies’: Biden Impeachment Hearing Turns Fiery As Ex-Hunter Biden Business Partner Testifies (Forbes)
Here’s Why GOP’s Biden Impeachment Appears To Be Unraveling (Forbes)
Biden Impeachment Inquiry: All The Allegations Against The President Leveled By House GOP, Explained (Forbes)
‘The House Republican Impeachment Probe Is Over’ White House Counsel Tells Mike Johnson (Forbes)