Earlier this month, Speaker McCarthy opened a baseless impeachment inquiry without a vote. Now, who did Oversight Committee Republicans select as witnesses for the first impeachment hearing? A Fox News contributor (Jonathan Turley), another Fox News and Newsmax pundit (Bruce Dubinsky), and a member of the Trump transition team (Eileen O’Connor). Read more about these MAGA witnesses here.
What won’t be present at the hearing? Any witnesses who deal in facts and any shred of evidence whatsoever that President Biden committed any wrongdoing. Comer has confessed that this hearing won’t cover any new ground and this latest partisan stunt is just another distraction from the looming government shutdown – an epic failure entirely of the Republicans’ own making. This hearing shows, once again, that they would rather focus on these blatant stunts at the behest of Trump rather than solving the real issues keeping working families up at night.
Raw Story: Republicans Rely On ‘Shameless’ Lawyer Turley For First Biden Impeachment Hearing: Analysts. “The House Oversight Committee announced its first panel over what they’re calling an impeachment of President Joe Biden… Among those chosen was attorney Jonathan Turley, who still purports to support Democrats but regularly attacks them and supports Donald Trump in Fox appearances… National security expert Marcy Wheeler cracked up on the social media site previously known as Twitter. ‘Holy fu–ing s–t. Not ONLY is @jamescomer planning an impeachment hearing while Republicans are struggling to keep the govt open, but he invited JONNY TURLEY because he couldn’t find a real expert. Pathetic. He couldn’t find an expert!!!!!!’ she tweeted. […] “Let’s be clear: Jonathan Turley is a MAGA hypocrite. He is a Trump loyalist who defended Trump during his first and second impeachment trials, demonstrating blatant hypocrisy time and time again,” said the Congressional Integrity Project.” [Raw Story, 9/25/23]
Forbes: GOP Names These Witnesses In First Biden Impeachment Inquiry Hearing. “TOPLINE House Republicans have released the slate of witnesses in their first impeachment inquiry hearing for President Joe Biden, naming three conservative figures known for previously weighing in on the thus far unfounded accusations that Biden and his son used his power to make themselves richer.” [Forbes, 9/25/23]
CNN: House Oversight Panel Announces Witnesses For First Biden Impeachment Inquiry Hearing. “None of the witnesses slated to testify appear to have direct knowledge of what House Republicans have alleged about Joe Biden. Comer told CNN last week that he planned to have a financial expert speak to bank records pertaining to the Biden family’s business dealings and a constitutional expert to discuss why an impeachment inquiry is warranted. The panel is also poised to issue its first subpoenas to the president’s son Hunter Biden and brother James Biden. Republicans have made Hunter Biden’s business dealings a central component of their impeachment inquiry, but there is no public evidence to date that the president profited off his son’s business deals or allowed them to influence him while in office.” [CNN, 9/25/23]
The Hill: Republicans Name Witnesses For First Impeachment Hearing. “Republicans will kick off their first impeachment hearing with a trio of witnesses, asking a forensic accountant, former Justice Department tax attorney, and conservative legal scholar Jonathan Turley to weigh in on the business dealings of the Biden family. Led by the House Oversight Committee, the hearing is titled ‘The Basis for an Impeachment Inquiry of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’ and comes after Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters last week the hearing is ‘not expected to cover new ground.’… Bruce Dubinsky is a longtime forensic accountant who has previously weighed in on Hunter Biden’s business finances for Fox News. His LinkedIn account notes he is also a media contributor, and he has weighed in on other major tax cases, including reporting around former President Trump’s taxes. Eileen O’Connor is a former assistant attorney general of the tax division at the Department of Justice who served under George W. Bush administration and was also a member of the Trump transition team. She penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “You’d Go to Prison for What Hunter Biden Did.” Her LinkedIn shows her re-posting videos critiquing responses to climate change while another post from her warning the Biden administration is “enabling the invasion” at the border. Turley is a law professor at George Washington University and a regular conservative commentator. Republicans also called him as a witness at the first meeting of the subcommittee formed by the GOP to review purported “weaponization” of the federal government.” [The Hill, 9/25/23]
Newsweek: Biden Impeachment Inquiry Hearing: First Witnesses, What to Know. “Dubinsky works at SEDA Experts, an expert witness firm that specializes in financial services. According to his biography on the firm’s site, he has over 40 years of financial investigative consulting experience and is a “frequent contributor” at major news outlets including Fox News and CBS News. O’Conner worked at the Department of Justice from July 2001 to June 2007. Prior to her appointment to the department, she also served as corporate tax law specialist at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). She has also participated at events with The Federalist Society, a conservative legal advocacy organization. Turley, a law professor and legal commentator, was previously called upon by Republicans to testify during the first meeting for the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government back in February.” [Newsweek, 9/25/23]