Tensions boiled over during the House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday as Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin attempted to bring former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani into the impeachment inquiry hearing.
Raskin motioned for a recorded vote to subpoena Giuliani and Lev Parnas, who both arranged interviews with former Ukraine prosecutors about Biden and his son, to testify before a committee hearing. Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee, pushed back against the request and told Raskin he will be provided evidence regarding President Joe Biden’s alleged influence-peddling scheme to benefit his son, Hunter, who conducted overseas business dealings.
“I’d like to ask for a recorded vote on that, Mr. Chairman. This is on a subpoena of the two key figures, Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas,” Raskin said.
“Key figures for what?” Comer asked.
“But in your theory about why President Biden should be impeached,” the Democrat said.
“I think this is gonna be an informative hearing for you, Mr. Raskin, because we want to present evidence,” the chairman replied. (RELATED: ‘Really Unlawful And Wrong Things’: Top Oversight Dem Concedes Hunter Biden May Be In Trouble)
“What evidence? There’s no evidence witness, there’s no fact witnesses,” Raskin said.
“Just sit back and let the American people see the hearing, and let the American people decide,” Comer said.
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez then called for a “point of parliamentary inquiry.”
“No, listen!” Comer pushed back. “Everybody’s gonna get five minutes, I’m gonna present the witnesses. Everyone’s gonna get a chance, five minutes. I let the ranking member go way over time in his opening statement, but we are going to abide by the five minutes.”
“There’s a motion on the floor,” several representatives then interrupted.
The committee voted over Raskin’s motion on the floor to subpoena Giuliani and Parnas. The results of the votes were 20 in favor and 19 in opposition.
In June, Raskin released a letter including a partial transcript of questions that Giuliani and Parnas asked Burisma Energy founder Mykola Zlochevsky, who falsely said “[n]o one from Burisma ever had any contacts with VP [Joe] Biden or people working for him during Hunter Biden’s engagement” with the energy company, where Hunter served on the board of Burisma from 2014 to 2019.
An email from Hunter’s abandoned laptop indicated that then-Vice President Biden met with Burisma executive Vadym Pozharskyi in 2014 at a World Food Program USA charity dinner organized by Hunter.
The Maryland representative attempted to debunk the allegations that Biden took a bribe from Zlochevsky after an FD-1023 form handed to Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley alleged that the Burisma owner paid Biden and his son $5 million each to fire Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who investigated the company for corruption.
Hunter Biden was paid $80,000 per month by Burisma, according to bank records released by House Oversight.
Comer scheduled the hearing for Thursday to examine the “constitutional and legal questions surrounding the president’s involvement in corruption and abuse of public office.”
