Less than 24 hours after Republicans officially won the House of Representatives, Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan held a press conference revealing the GOP’s real plans for the next two years. House Republicans are launching a slate of hyperpartisan, politically motivated investigations into President Biden and his family instead of addressing the real issues that impact Americans the most. But don’t just take our word for it – just listen to these accounts of the political motives behind these investigations below.
Rolling Stone: Marjorie Taylor Greene Was Promised GOP Will Investigate Pelosi, DOJ: Report. “Republicans seem poised to use their House majority to launch a series of probes into their political opponents. The House’s resident 2020 election truther and Jan. 6 defender Marjorie Taylor Greene has secured a promise from House leadership to investigate Nancy Pelosi and the Department of Justice regarding the treatment of Jan. 6 defendants, according to a report from the The New York Times. […] Greene of course isn’t the only House Republican who wants to use the majority mostly to investigate their opponents. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and others held a press conference Wednesday morning to state their intentions to go after President Biden’s son Hunter’s business dealings. ‘If we can keep it about Hunter Biden, this is kind of a big deal, we think,’ Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said when a reporter tried to ask about something else. ‘If we could keep it about Hunter Biden that would be great.’” [Rolling Stone, 11/17/22]
Erick Erickson, conservative radio host: “The fact that the GOP is rushing out in the house to announce hearings into Hunter Biden instead of the FBI shows you just how screwed up their priorities are going to be.” [Erick Erickson Twitter, 11/17/22]
Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project: “These Hunter Biden Laptop investigations are going to really bring down inflation and gas prices.” [Rick Wilson Twitter, 11/17/22]
Mike DuHaime, conservative political strategist: “This is unlikely to lower inflation. Misreading election results leads to bad governing decisions.” [Mike DuHaime Twitter, 11/17/22]
Matthew Miller, legal analyst: “GOP’s House majority has been official for less than 24 hours, and the first big priority they announce is an investigation of Hunter Biden, after leaks they will also investigate the treatment of Jan. 6 prisoners. Crazy, craven, and incompetent all at once.” [Matthew Miller Twitter, 11/17/22]
Nelly Decker, spokeswoman for Democrats on the House Oversight Committee: “Now that former President Trump is running for office again, House Republicans’ top priority is attacking President Biden and his family in a desperate attempt to return Mr. Trump to power.” [CNN, 11/17/22]
Ian Sams, spokesman for the White House Counsel’s office: “Instead of working with President Biden to address issues important to the American people, like lower costs, congressional Republicans’ top priority is to go after President Biden with politically motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories.” [CNN, 11/17/22]
Daily Kos: McCarthy Hands The Detonator To The Bomb-Throwers. “Republicans have been promising for weeks that if they took the House of Representatives, it would be payback time for Democrats. Sure, they had a big show around releasing their ‘Commitment to America’ to attempt to show that they had some kind of intent to act like real responsible adults put in charge of a nation, but it was all show and no substance. Now they have their teeny-tiny majority, they’re doing exactly what they said they’d do: seek revenge on Democrats for winning and doing popular stuff. […] ‘Republicans will use every tool we have to bring relief to Americans and put the country back on the right track.’ They mean it. Which means it is imperative that Democrats use this lame duck to keep them away from the most dangerous weapons.” [Daily Kos, 11/17/22]
Eric Schultz, former White House deputy press secretary: “2011 all over again. House Republicans chase wild conspiracies and prove themselves completely uninterested in helping the American people. Helpful, vivid contrast between the two parties and what they’re each working on in Washington.” [Eric Schultz Twitter, 11/17/22]
Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT): “I’d rather focus on helping the American people, dealing with inflation, getting better energy resources, making sure entitlements are secure going forward. There are a lot of high priorities, and, frankly, looking into the president’s son doesn’t strike me as one of the big priorities we ought to be focused on.” [CNN, 11/17/22]
Representative-elect George Santos (R-NY): “If parts of our party want to go into these investigations, that’s their prerogative. I don’t want to waste my time in Washington engaging in hyperpartisan issues, I want to come here to deliver results.” [The Hill, 11/14/22]