PRESS RELEASE Contact: press@congressionalintegrity.org
For Immediate Release
Date: November 17, 2023
Comer Had A Childish Meltdown After Being Questioned About His Own Family’s Influence Peddling
It is another day that ends in “y” so we can be sure of one thing – James Comer had yet another bad week. Seemingly unsatisfied with his failed investigations and disproven conspiracy theories, Comer had a childish meltdown this week in the middle of an Oversight Committee hearing after being questioned about his family’s possible corruption and influence peddling, as exposed in a bombshell Daily Beast article last week. This all comes just weeks after Comer said he didn’t want to hold any more impeachment hearings – presumably because he embarrassed himself so much with the first one. In response, Congressional Integrity Project executive director, Kyle Herrig, issued the following statement:
“James Comer managed to reach a new low this week with his meltdown in the middle of a congressional hearing. He has spent almost a year promising evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden only to keep embarrassing himself with old news, debunked conspiracies, and completely innocent transactions. And now when put on the spot about his own corruption, family influence peddling and conflicts of interest, he can’t seem to control his anger and resorts to cursing, yelling, and name-calling. As long as he keeps putting his loyalty to Trump over his constituents and the American people, Comer will never escape this cycle of humiliation.”
Comer’s outburst and failures were covered by local Kentucky newspapers:
The Louisville Courier Journal: U.S. Rep. James Comer Faces Ethics Complaint Over Heated Argument With Moskowitz. “A Kentucky congressman’s heated comments at a hearing Tuesday are the subject of an ethics complaint filed by a Washington D.C.-based interest group. U.S. Rep. James Comer’s behavior during the hearing prompted the Congressional Integrity Project, a left-leaning interest group, to request the House Ethics Committee investigate whether the congressman violated any rules. Comer, a Republican representing Kentucky’s 1st District, vehemently responded to criticism from Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz over a reported $200,000 payment Comer made to his brother as part of a land swap in Kentucky. In a letter to the ethics committee’s chief counsel and staff director, Kyle [Herrig], the interest group’s director, said Comer made ‘inaccurate statements’ and ‘viciously’ addressed Moskowitz using obscene language at the hearing of the House Oversight Committee. ‘Representative Comer’s actions are not only a violation of the public trust, but a violation of his fundamental duty as a Member of the House of Representatives to uphold the letter and spirit of the House Rules,’ [Herrig] wrote. During a tense exchange, Comer called Moskowitz a ‘Smurf’ and said the deal with his brother was made because his brother could not afford land that the Comers wanted to keep in the family.” [The Louisville Courier Journal, 11/15/23]
Northern Kentucky Tribune (Opinion): Bill Straub: Comer’s unrelenting quest to undo Biden curtailed by one pesky detail — the facts. “Comer, as anyone who views Fox News with any degree of regularity knows — since he shows up on the screen more frequently than most of the network’s anchors — has made it his life’s work to oust Biden, pouring through bank records, taking depositions from know-nothings, subpoenaing family members who probably haven’t seen Uncle Joe in years, all as part of some devious plan to remove the nation’s duly-elected leader from office. There’s only one thing prohibiting him from fulfilling that dream – the facts. After 11 months of investigations, tall tales, hyperbole, an incredible amount of face time on right-wing television networks and more fibs than Carter has little liver pills, Comer has failed to prove that Biden has so much as merited a jaywalking ticket, not to mention any high crimes or misdemeanors required by the Constitution.” [Northern Kentucky Tribune (Opinion), 11/17/23]
Multiple other news outlets and networks covered his meltdown and failures:
Watch Congressional Integrity Project’s roundup of TV coverage of Comer’s meltdown:
Washington Post: The Biden impeachment inquiry nears its end game, while also not moving. “There was one hearing, held about two weeks after the announcement. It was a debacle, offering no new evidence but, instead, lots of opportunity for critical Democrats to poke holes in the Republicans’ arguments. Those arguments had been quietly growing in the conducive, unthreatening confines of conservative media; exposed to the Capitol Hill klieg lights, they withered. The Republican leaders of the impeachment effort retreated to Fox News to undo the damage. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), the face of the probe, quietly told reporters that he figured they were done with similar hearings.” [Washington Post, 11/16/23]