Caught pushing bogus claims, GOP’s Comer seeks rewards from donors
To the extent that anyone might’ve tried to argue that James Comer was approaching his anti-Biden crusade in good faith, those days appear to be over.
Aug. 4, 2023, 9:45 AM CDT
By Steve Benen
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., Chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, in Washington
To the extent that anyone might’ve tried to argue that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer was approaching his anti-Biden crusade in good faith, those days appear to be over. In fact, by some measures, this has been a career-defining week for the Kentucky Republican — but not in a good way.
The week began with an interview with Devon Archer, a former Hunter Biden business associate, who testified under oath to the GOP-led Oversight panel, and whom Republicans saw as a key witness in their ongoing investigations into President Joe Biden and his family. In the wake of the Q&A, Comer made a variety of provocative claims about the closed-door testimony.
Those claims weren’t true. We know this for certain because the Oversight Committee chose yesterday — shortly before Donald Trump’s arraignment overshadowed other political news — to release the official transcript of Archer’s testimony. It thoroughly discredited not only Comer’s claims this week, but also every Republican talking point related to the Democratic president.
A Washington Post analysis took note of what happened next.
The Justice Department did not, in reality, try to throw Archer in jail in the hopes of derailing his testimony.
Nevertheless, Comer’s written fundraising appeal went on to describe the witness’ sworn testimony as “the smoking gun evidence we needed to prove that Joe Biden was the head of the Biden Bribery Scheme.”
There is simply no defense for such brazen dishonesty. Perhaps a brief timeline of events might help clarify matters.
1. Comer spends months assuring the public that he’d present devastating evidence of Biden corruption. He fails spectacularly at every step.
2. Comer schedules a special closed-door interview with Archer, promising important results. The Oversight Committee chairman fails to attend the Q&A.
3. Comer peddles a variety of highly provocative claims about Archer’s testimony, including during appearances on national television, leading the public to believe the witness advanced the case against the president.
4. Comer’s committee releases the transcript of Archer’s testimony — a time that appeared designed to bury the news — that shows the opposite of what Comer had claimed.
5. Comer’s political operation seeks financial rewards from his supporters anyway, pretending the information that was devastating for the GOP was actually “smoking gun evidence” that incriminated Joe Biden, despite reality.
These are not the actions of a powerful public official acting in good faith.
As we discussed yesterday, the core details are obvious and no longer in doubt: Archer said under oath that Joe Biden wasn’t involved with Burisma, didn’t talk business with his son’s associates, and didn’t take bribes. The Post’s analysis added, “That’s the pattern here. Comer ... 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.”
Or put another way, Archer’s testimony was an embarrassing dud for Republicans; it did nothing to advance their partisan efforts against the president; and it was the latest in a series of related duds.
As Comer’s campaign tries to capitalize financially on the GOP chairman’s failure, there should almost certainly be a meaningful conversation about whether Comer should continue to hold the Oversight Committee’s gavel.
