https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/25/2219407/-Trump-allies-ridicule-GOP-impeachment-inquiry-for-failing-to-find-dirt-on-Biden?detail=emaildkre&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=emailTrump allies ridicule GOP impeachment inquiry for failing to find dirt on Biden
As he closes in on the Republican nomination, Donald Trump needs House Republicans to deliver an equalizer for him in the general e******n: an impeachment of President Joe Biden.
But after a yearlong investigation led by the House oversight committee chair, Rep. James Comer, Republicans seem no closer to digging up any actionable dirt on Biden. That leads to two conclusions:
If the pro-Trump House GOP conference hasn't found anything on Biden, it's unlikely anything legally actionable exists.
It becomes even more imperative for House Republicans to scrape together something Trump can work with.
After all, when pundits call him the twice-impeached, four-time indictee, Trump has to be able to point at Biden and say he's the one who's really corrupt. Just look at what Congress found on him. It's very reminiscent of Trump attempting to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into opening a bogus investigation into Biden. Only now, Trump has so many legal liabilities, he needs more than just the specter of wrongdoing—he needs the goods. And according to some fascinating reporting from The Messenger's Stephen Neukam, Trump has taken note of the fact that he's currently got nothing on which to spin a corruption narrative.
“Comer has cast a wide net and caught very little fish. That is a big problem for him,” one ally of Trump told The Messenger.
The reporting is informed by more than a dozen anonymous interviews, including a House Republican colleague who calls Comer's inquiry a "parade of embarrassments."
“One would be hard pressed to find the best moment for James Comer in the Oversight Committee,” the GOP lawmaker said.
But in many ways, the leaks seem specifically designed to put Comer on notice that he not only needs to produce, but he'll be singularly on the hook if he doesn't.
“James Comer continues to embarrass himself and House Republicans. He screws up over and over and over," said a source identified as "close" to House GOP leadership, who appeared to be playing CYA for the leadership team. The source's big fear was that Comer would ultimately fail to provide the foundation necessary (i.e. evidence) to follow through with impeaching Biden.
“I don’t know how Republicans actually impeach the president based on [Comer's] clueless investigation and lack of leadership,” said the source.
The quotes had the feel of a failed campaign staff pointing fingers at each other as the ship goes down, only the campaign in this case is the Republican effort to impeach Biden.