A meeting of the House Oversight Committee on China spiraled out of control on Wednesday after the committee's two most senior members got in each other's faces.
During the hearing, which was called "A War Without Weapons: CCP Political Warfare Against America, Part I,” committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) aimed to shine a light on threats from the Xi Jinping regime, including military, cybersecurity and economic concerns. But the hearing was derailed once the topic of President Joe Biden's impeachment investigation came up.
In footage of the hearing posted to X/Twitter by the account @acyn, both Comer and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) got into a tense exchange over Biden's fortune made from his bestselling memoir. Raskin pointed out that Biden's only crime was being a former U.S. senator who made millions of dollars from writing a book.
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"What is the crime that you want to impeach Joe Biden for?" Raskin asked. "Tell America right now." Comer's only response was, "you’re about to find out very soon."
Comer continued to insist, without offering evidence, that Biden and his son, Hunter, were financially compromised by foreign governments. He suggested that China "bribed Joe Biden and his family with $9 million."
"That's been discredited," Raskin said. "If Biden took a bribe, why aren't you impeaching him?"
"Well who says we're not?" Comer responded.
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Raskin then attempted to call Comer's bluff and invite another Democratic member of the committee back inside the hearing so they could conduct an impeachment vote — something Comer has continued to refuse to do.
"I can invite Mr. Moskowitz to come back in. Do you want to move for impeachment today? Because I thought that was your main agenda item," Raskin said. "You said it was a 'paramount priority of the committee.'"
The two also sparred over former President Donald Trump's own financial dealings with foreign governments. Raskin reminded Comer that while he was president, the Chinese government spent more than $5 million at properties owned by 45th president of the United States, including the Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington (which became a Waldorf-Astoria after the Trump Organization sold it in 2022). Comer accused Raskin and his fellow Democrats of having "an obsession with Russia and Trump," adding "you need therapy, Mr. Raskin."
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Watch videos of the exchanges below, or by clicking this link.
