Kentucky Republican Representative James Comer was criticized after he inadvertently revealed the underlying motives behind the House Republicans' investigation into President Joe Biden's family members and their finances.
During an interview with Fox News, Comer admitted the investigation was aimed at helping Donald Trump win the presidency in 2024. The revelation echoed current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's similar gaffe in 2015, when he admitted the GOP's Benghazi committee was created to harm Hillary Clinton's poll numbers before the 2016 election.
Comer's candid moment occurred when the show's host, Ashley Strohmier, mentioned an op-ed in The Washington Post highlighting financial transactions involving the Biden family. Strohmier asked if the investigation had influenced the media's attention to the issue.
You can hear what Comer said in the video below.
Comer responded:
“Absolutely. There’s no question."
"You look at the polling, and right now Donald Trump is 7 points ahead of Joe Biden and trending upward, Joe Biden’s trending downward."
"And I believe that the media is looking around, scratching their head, and they’re realizing that the American people are keeping up with our investigation.”
However, the reality is the committee led by Comer failed to present any direct evidence linking Biden to corruption in its hearings.
Despite House Republicans' attempts to portray Biden as deeply corrupt, the investigation fell far short of substantiating those claims. In contrast, Donald Trump had been cited for discriminatory practices and corruption involving a Trump charitable organization prior to taking office.
Furthermore, Comer misrepresented the state of presidential polling during the interview.
He asserted Trump had a 7-point lead over Biden, citing an ABC News/Washington Post survey from earlier that month. However, other surveys consistently showed Biden leading, suggesting a close race between the two candidates. In fact, polling indicated the House GOP investigations into Biden's family had minimal impact on the President's political standing.
Earlier surveys conducted by nonpartisan and Democratic firms found most voters believed Republicans were investing too much effort into investigating the President. This suggests the public perceived the investigations as politically motivated rather than rooted in genuine concern for accountability for actual crimes.
Comer's admission exposed him to significant online criticism.
\u201cYes, we have said these House Republican \u201cinvestigations\u201d are politically-motivated stunts.\n\nBut don\u2019t take our word for it.\n\nJust listen to @JamesComer himself.\n\nhttps://t.co/lC6XDQg6Fk\u201d— Ian Sams (@Ian Sams) 1684784255
\u201cRepublican James Comer just gave away the game much like Kevin McCarthy did years ago when he admitted that the seemingly endless Benghazi investigations into Hillary Clinton were political and meant to harm her in the public\u2019s eye.\n\nhttps://t.co/qUKijOEuV8 via @politicususa\u201d— Sarah Reese Jones (@Sarah Reese Jones) 1684793814
\u201c\u2066@RepJamesComer\u2069 lies again and uses government as a weapon to once again try and seat his clown king.\n\nYour poll numbers are bs https://t.co/hYSLWAp9t2\u201d— Lisa (@Lisa) 1684789150
\u201cJames Comer is following the Kevin McCarthy method of outright admitting that the purpose of an investigation is to hurt a candidate's poll numbers - Not shocking, the House GOP's dead-end investigation into the Biden family was always just political\n\nhttps://t.co/nj5vCqkgMr\u201d— Rob Cohen (@Rob Cohen) 1684786358
\u201cJames Comer said the investigation into the Biden family is being done because they believe trump will get better poll numbers. He said Bidens poll numbers are dropping and trumps are rising which is a lie. He admitted they know there\u2019s nothing there it\u2019s just about polls\u201d— katherine \u270c\ud83c\udffb\u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udf0e\ud83e\uddda\ud83c\udf3a\ud83c\udf3c\ud83d\udc94\ud83c\udd92 (@katherine \u270c\ud83c\udffb\u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udf0e\ud83e\uddda\ud83c\udf3a\ud83c\udf3c\ud83d\udc94\ud83c\udd92) 1684837102
\u201cI warned everyone about this idiot when he became a House committee chairman in January. He\u2019s been even worse than I feared. https://t.co/QvjWyVPT7C\u201d— Without truth, there is NO hope. (@Without truth, there is NO hope.) 1684839344
\u201cNEW: House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer gave away the game regarding his investigation of the Biden family: \u201cYou look at the polling, and right now, Donald Trump is 7 points ahead of Joe Biden\u201d\n\nThis isn\u2019t a serious investigation. They\u2019re just playing politics\u201d— Republicans against Trump (@Republicans against Trump) 1684788741
\u201cLOL. Every accusation is a confession.\n\nhttps://t.co/oOGjnkye9L\u201d— Xanderman (@Xanderman) 1684807287
Comer was similarly criticized last week after he claimed during a Fox News interview a key "informant" on the Biden administration's alleged corruption mysteriously vanished, casting a cloud of uncertainty over the GOP's ongoing probe.
During the interview, host Maria Bartiromo pressed Comer about the evidence he possessed pertaining to President Joe Biden's alleged corruption, specifically inquiring about the whistleblowers he previously claimed existed. She also sought information on an informant who allegedly provided the Congressman with vital information.
Comer reluctantly admitted Republicans were unable to "track down the informant."
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
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