A Democratic lawmaker tried to derail the first impeachment hearing into President Joe Biden’s alleged misconduct as vice president, claiming it is “unparliamentary” to talk about Biden.
“Before I give my opening statement, I have a parliamentary inquiry. Given the committee has not been authorized by the full House to conduct an impeachment inquiry, am I correct in assuming we are obligated to follow the rules of the House including section 370 of the rules and manual which prescribes engaging in personalities against the president?” Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamin Raskins asked during the hearing. (RELATED: Here’s All The Evidence Connecting Joe Biden To Hunter Biden’s Foreign Business Dealings)
“Well considering this is an investigation of Joe Biden I would assume that his name is going to come up,” House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer responded.
The House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee’s Thursday hearing examines the value of an impeachment inquiry into Biden’s alleged involvement in an influence-peddling scheme that was connected to his son, Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. Comer opened the hearing, according to a statement earlier reviewed by the Daily Caller, explaining the committee’s past findings which includes that the Bidens and their associates have “created over 20 shell companies and raked in over $24 million dollars.”
“Right but the House has not authorized this as an impeachment inquiry, so we are just operating with the general rules and I think saying that the president lied is considered engaging in personality,” Raskins continued. “In fact, section 370 says accusations that the president has committed a crime or even that the president has done something illegal is unparliamentary and we are operating with the general rules of the house because the house as not authorized…”
“The speaker of the house authorized the impeachment inquiry,” Comer interjected. “It has been authorized.”
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy directed House Republicans to open a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden in September after previously weighing the inquiry in August if the Department of Justice (DOJ) used David Weiss’s position as special counsel to block or alter an investigation into Hunter Biden by the House Oversight Committee.
Hunter Biden pled not guilty to two tax misdemeanors in July after his diversion agreement and plea deal collapsed following scrutiny of U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, which caused Hunter Biden’s legal team and the DOJ to argue.
Additional evidence supporting a Biden impeachment inquiry was released Tuesday and includes a report from the committee showing that Hunter Biden’s Chinese business associates sent the first son more than $250,000 worth of wires in July and August of 2019 using his father’s home in Delaware as the beneficiary address.