POLITICO - House GOP’s latest impeachment hearing devolves into bickering with Trump-aligned witness

A high-profile hearing House Republicans had hoped would provide more fodder for their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden quickly descended into petty bickering.

The House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday featured two witnesses invited by Republicans — former Hunter Biden associates Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis — who have previously met with the committee in private interviews.

The two men reiterated on Wednesday claims they made during those meetings that Joe Biden discussed business with Hunter Biden, which both Bidens have denied, and spoke with his son's associates. But the hearing is unlikely to change the impeachment calculus within the House GOP, where they lack the needed near unity to impeach Joe Biden. Investigators are facing skepticism from within their own colleagues who haven’t seen clear evidence that Joe Biden committed a crime.

Instead, the hearing was dominated by fireworks between Democrats on the panel and Bobulinski, who previously attended a 2020 presidential debate as a guest of then-President Donald Trump’s campaign.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the panel, teed off against the two witnesses, calling them “loyal servants of Trump world” and “utterly compromised and biased witnesses,” adding that Bobulinski is a “bitterly disappointed wannabe Hunter Biden business partner.”

The hearing is the latest bullet point in the House GOP’s broad impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, which has flailed recently and seems unlikely to lead to a House vote absent clearer evidence. The investigation has largely focused on the business deals of Joe Biden’s family members, but has struggled to find a smoking gun showing that actions taken by Joe Biden as president or vice president were meant to benefit the financial deals of Hunter Biden or other family members.  

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) knocked Hunter Biden, who declined Republicans' invitation to join the hearing on Wednesday. Hunter Biden and his legal team initially requested a public hearing last year before agreeing to February’s hours-long closed-door interview.

“At some point, Hunter Biden saying one thing and doing another begins to reflect poorly on his ability to tell the truth at all. But this hearing is not about Hunter Biden. This investigation is not about Hunter Biden. It is about Joe Biden and the lies he continues to tell the American people,” Comer said. 

The attorney for another business partner and planned witness, Devon Archer, also said he couldn’t attend, instead requesting that the committee propose alternative days, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.

Bobulinski, in his opening statement, vehemently criticized Joe Biden, who he called a “serial liar.” He also accused Raskin and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) of lying. When Raskin interrupted to ask if the House’s decorum rules applied to witnesses — noting that Bobulinski “called members of this committee liars” — Comer said decorum regulations cited by Raskin only applied to members.

“Am I supposed to say it’s my time, Mr. Raskin?” Bobulinski quipped.

It wasn’t just Raskin who sparred with Bobulinski. When Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said that Bobulinski “provided zero evidence — zero evidence — of any sort of link between Hunter Biden and the president as it relates to the business dealing,” Bobulinski interrupted to call that a “blatant lie.”

“Actually it’s my time, sir,” Garcia said, before continuing.

Bobulinski also took a jab at Hunter Biden’s absence during the hearing, asking: “Should I allow Hunter to give his opening statement first?” Hunter Biden, through his legal team, had said he would only testify if Comer also called a hearing with members of Trump’s family, namely son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Republicans rejected a Democratic attempt on Wednesday to subpoena Kushner. They also voted down an effort by Democrats to subpoena Bobulinski’s phone. 

The other Republican witness, Galanis, testified from prison — a fact Democrats cited to question his credibility.

"I want to remind people he is sitting in prison, that's why he can't be here today. He's sitting in prison for scamming workers’ pensions. I mean how low can you get?" asked Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.).

The committee hearing tensions flared between members, as well. Comer told a Democrat who said they had an inquiry to “state your parliamentary inquiry … we don’t have time for stunts.”

Another GOP member chimed in: “We don’t have time for games by Democrats today.”