James Comer is being called out again for misinformation (to put it nicely) if not outright lying which is almost certainly a more accurate description of how he and other GOPers work. It’s why we had the standoff for a while with Hunter Biden making Comer and his cronies look exactly like the lying, Trump Hatchet Congress Critters they are. Hunter was quite willing to sit down and take any question they wanted to throw at him as long as it was public. That way everyone could see for themselves who was credible and who was not. Comer might not be overly smart but he’s not brain-dead stupid and he KNEW Hunter would eat him and other GOPers for lunch!
The thing is, when they called on him to testify the GOpers and Comer specifically said whether in public or private they wanted him to come in and testify under oath. They gave Hunter Biden and option. Oops. Because Hunter called their bluff so we had that standoff and the House gleefully looking at passing a criminal referral to the DOJ for “Contempt of Congress.” The House GOP is worthy of every bit of contempt decent people everywhere can summon up but let’s set that aside for now. Just as they were about to make their performance jackassery official Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell (one of the top white collar lawyers in DC) pierced their bubble. He sent a letter pointing out a technicality in that the subpoena itself wasn’t valid because when issued the House hadn’t formally voted for the committee’s impeachment inquiry. Again, oops.
So we now have a new subpoena that’s been issued and this time around there’s no talk of an option for public or private testimony. Hunter Biden will have to come in and testify under oath behind closed doors or he will wind up referred to the DOJ for contempt. Maybe. The GOP has a razor thin majority and whipping votes on what most of them know is a fruitless round of questioning of Hunter Biden might not be worth opening the DOJ can of worms. Because they know the President won’t lift a finger. Given how long it could all take to play out they might not control the House come November and the whole thing would go away. Still, that’s a game Hunter isn’t going to play and he will sit for a deposition.
And we all know what to expect. The same kind of crap talked about in this Washington Post article about one of Hunter Biden’s friends and associates having just testified. The WaPo starts by talking about the history of GOP cherry picking and, having it get debunked. Yes, they get their narrative out there in RWNJ media and MAGA Land but two-thirds of Americans know the drill. Wait for the transcript because Democrats who go right out and provide the missing context are invariably proven to be the ones telling the truth, and painting an accurate picture. Comer (as well as Jordan and others) knows this and he’s started withholding transcripts!
Yes, it can take two or three days for the court reporter to get an official transcript ready. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for disinformation and LIES to percolate however so in a half dozen or so cases Comer simply isn’t releasing them despite promises to do so. That’s the trap Hunter Biden didn’t want to walk in to. Any promise Comer makes to promptly release a transcript is worth about as much as a promise from Trump that “the check is in the mail.”
The linked WaPo article about what just happened this week with a wealthy friend of Hunter’s who loaned him money to deal with his tax liability gave a closed door deposition. Keven Morris testified behind closed doors. Comer, within hours leaked cherry-picked bits and pieces that made Morris and Hunter Biden (and Joe Biden himself) look bad. Corrupt. However as the Post article explains in a good amount of detail everyone knows the game by now. Morris’ attorney was ready:
Morris appeared for a closed-door deposition on Thursday. His attorney, Bryan Sullivan, claims in the letter that he asked at the outset that his client’s testimony not be cherry-picked or misrepresented. Instead, he said, he received only a promise that Morris would “be treated fairly.”
“You did not treat Mr. Morris fairly and engaged in your standard practice of partially and inaccurately leaking a witness’s statements,” Morris writes in the letter obtained by The Washington Post. “Not two hours after we left Mr. Morris’ transcribed interview, you issued a press statement with cherry‐picked, out of context and totally misleading descriptions of what Mr. Morris said.”
There’s a reason that no magician will repeat the same trick during the same show. The second time around people are watching for the “how” and the GOP has played this trick over and over again. Yes, Democrats on this and other committees doing bogus investigations respond but now we have people who can afford good lawyers having their lawyers hitting back (and hard) right away. And letting the media know.
Remember what I said about Abbe Lowell? Hunter Biden has one of the best and Lowell not only has Comer’s and the GOP’s number on this crap, he’s a far better lawyer than anyone the GOP has either among committee members or their staff counsel. He’s got serious experience and like a lawyer in a trial, a good lawyer will be able to respond in the moment. Like in a trial when a witness for the other side is done with direct testimony and the judge says “Your witness” to Lowell. Great lawyers will be prepared for what will be asked and their notes during direct examination will enable them to attack and discredit bullshit right then and there.
We know what’s going to happen when Hunter Biden testifies. We KNOW it. However unlike so many witnesses he’s got a great lawyer who is connected both in DC legal and political circles but also in the media. Here’s something else that Comer has to be worried about. He and the GOP have counted on Biden trying to hide, to be low-profile and in the end try to “weather the storm.” However, Hunter Biden in recent months raised a lot of eyebrows (and I’m sure heartburn in the WH communications office because they have to sit on the sidelines) by going on the attack! Like so many bullies, Comer, Jorden et al don’t know what to do (other than complain like schoolchildren) when somebody punches them back. Right in their fat mouths.
Don’t be surprised if the weekend before Hunter Biden’s deposition we see Lowell and perhaps Hunter himself on offense in the weekend shows. They will have solid, short talking points illustrating the GOP’s history of bad faith with selectively leaked, misleading testimony. And a copy of any letter such as the one Morris’ attorney sent before he testified asking for a promise to swiftly release a full transcript. Mark your calendars folks. In the meantime I urge you to read the linked story. It’s a bit of a read but worth your time.
The nazis used mirror accusations where you accuse someone of something they haven’t done and won’t do, while it is something YOU have done or plan to do. The gop equals the American version of the nazi party.