As MAGA Republicans like James Comer continue to attack the Department of Justice for reaching a plea deal and probation agreement with Hunter Biden, their blatant hypocrisy could not be more obvious. For years, House Republicans were more than content to sit on the sidelines as the Trump family used their political power to influence the decisions of businesses and allies to enrich themselves and stepped aside when Trump upended the Department of Justice and issued pardons to protect his friends and associates. This contrast only further demonstrates how Republicans continue to attack the DOJ to appease the former president instead of addressing the real issues Americans are facing.
Even As He Demands Action On Hunter Biden, James Comer Still Refuses To Investigate Trump Family Influence Peddling. If Comer actually cared about potential influence peddling and corruption, he would be investigating how Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric, and Jared Kushner profited off their time in the White House instead of these baseless political stunts:
- Less Than Six Months After Leaving The White House, Jared Kushner’s Firm Received A $2B Investment From Saudi Arabia Despite Widespread Opposition From Committees In The Saudi Government. “Ms. Maloney’s letter refers to disclosures, first published by The New York Times in early April, that the Saudi government’s main sovereign wealth fund invested $2 billion in Mr. Kushner’s firm despite objections from one of its own internal committees over his lack of relevant investment experience. That investment occurred less than six months after Mr. Kushner left his post in the White House — a role that had given him broad oversight of the administration’s diplomacy efforts in the Middle East.” [New York Times, 6/2/22]
- Jared Kushner Held Contacts With Foreign Officials He Did Not Officially Report Or Clear With The National Security Council. “H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report.” [Washington Post, 2/27/18]
- In April 2017, Ivanka Trump Received Three Trademark Approvals In China The Same Day Ivanka And Her Father Dined With Chinese President Xi Jinping. “On the same day Trump and his daughter dined with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in April 2017, China awarded her three preliminary trademark approvals for jewelry, handbags and spa services.” [LA Times, 10/10/19]
- During His Presidency, Trump Operated A Web Of Over 500 Shadowy LLCs Not Subject To External Audits Or Rigorous Disclosure Requirements. For decades, Donald Trump operated a web of shadowy LLCs used to evade taxes and conceal loans and business interests. Even during his presidency, Trump’s use of LLCs allowed him to keep much of his financial portfolio outside the public eye. As NBC News reported, ““[W]e don’t know which foreign assets or bank accounts he owns or where they’re located. We don’t know how much foreign tax he has paid and to which countries. We can’t verify which charities he’s funding.”
- In 2017, Donald Jr. And Eric Trump Promoted A Project In India With A Picture Of President Trump, Noting The Tie With “POTUS,” While Taxpayers Covered Security Costs. “In 2017, the Trumps marketed another project in India — this one in Mumbai — with a picture of President Trump, calling it ‘an opportunity worth its weight in gold’ to be associated with ‘celebrity & POTUS Donald Trump’s Trump Organisation,’ using the abbreviation for president of the United States and the British spelling for organization.” [LA Times, 10/10/19]
James Comer Never Questioned Reduced Sentencing & Pardons For Top Trump Allies. If Comer actually cared about two-tiered justice and corrupt bargains, he would be investigating how Roger Stone got out of a 40-month prison sentence despite obstructing an investigation and tampering with witnesses. Furthermore, former president Trump issued pardons and commutations to political allies throughout his presidency: “The president has used his power to issue pardons or commutations to a variety of political allies, supporters or people with connections to his own circle, like the former New York police commissioner Bernard B. Kerik, the financier Michael R. Milken and former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois.”
- In July 2017, Trump Commuted Roger Stone’s 40-Month Prison Sentence For Obstructing An Investigation Into Foreign Election Interference. “President Trump commuted the sentence of his longtime friend Roger J. Stone Jr. on seven felony crimes on Friday, using the power of his office to spare a former campaign adviser days before Mr. Stone was to report to a federal prison to serve a 40-month term. In a lengthy written statement punctuated by the sort of inflammatory language and angry grievances characteristic of the president’s Twitter feed, the White House denounced the “overzealous prosecutors” who convicted Mr. Stone on “process-based charges” stemming from the “witch hunts” and “Russia hoax” investigation.” [New York Times. 7/10/20]
- Stone Openly Lobbied For A Pardon From Trump. “As his time to report to prison neared, Mr. Stone openly lobbied for clemency, maintaining that he could die in prison and emphasizing that he had stayed loyal to the president rather than help investigators. […] In an appearance on Fox last month, Mr. Stone even suggested that he wanted to help Mr. Trump win in November, saying his biggest fear of going to prison other than his health was ‘that I may not be free to do everything within my power to re-elect this president.’ While it was not clear when the two last spoke before the decision, Mr. Trump called Mr. Stone on Friday to deliver the news of his clemency personally, according to an official briefed on the conversation.” [New York Times. 7/10/20]
Four Prosecutors Quit Stone’s Case After The Trump-Led Justice Department Dropped A 7–9-Year Sentencing Recommendation Overnight. “Four federal prosecutors dramatically quit the criminal case against Republican operative Roger Stone as the Department of Justice reduced their recommendation that a judge sentence the longtime ally of President Donald Trump to up to nine years in prison. […] It is highly unusual for the Justice Department to reverse a sentencing recommendation after it has been made by prosecutors in a U.S. Attorney’s office. Typically, local U.S. Attorney’s offices — which are subordinate to the Justice Department — make their own decisions about sentencing recommendations to judges. The Justice Department is headed by Trump’s appointee, Attorney General William Barr.” [CNBC, 2/11/20]