House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-OH) said on Wednesday he plans to invite President Joe Biden to testify on Capitol Hill “in the coming days” following a lengthy impeachment hearing that involved several of Hunter Biden‘s associates.
“In the coming days, I will invite President Joe Biden to the House Oversight Committee to provide his own testimony and explain why his family received tens of millions of dollars from foreign companies with his assistance,” Comer said in a post to X.
🚨🚨🚨
In the coming days, I will invite President Joe Biden to the House Oversight Committee to provide his own testimony and explain why his family received tens of millions of dollars from foreign companies with his assistance.
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) March 20, 2024
“Comer knows 20+ witnesses have testified that POTUS did nothing wrong. He knows that the hundreds of thousands of pages of records he’s received have refuted his false allegations. This is a sad stunt at the end of a dead impeachment. Call it a day, pal,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in response to Comer’s plans.
Comer’s announcement comes after House Republicans held their second public impeachment inquiry hearing on Wednesday, which featured testimony from GOP witnesses Jason Galanis and Tony Bobulinski. Hunter Biden and former business partner Devon Archer declined to attend.
House Oversight Democrats invited Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, to appear as their witness. Oversight Republicans kept a seat at the witness table empty with Hunter Biden’s name to showcase his absence.
GOP leaders used the testimony as a public showing of the materials they’ve gathered over the last six months, while House Democrats spent most of the hearing blasting Galanis and Bobulinski and arguing that the GOP has not produced any impeachable evidence.
“That hearing was embarrassing for House Republicans,” Sams told the Washington Examiner. “A total waste of time. It’s time to move on from this sad charade. There are real issues the American people want us to address.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
There has been little to no evidence to indicate that the inquiry will lead to the impeachment of Joe Biden, as House Republicans have yet to turn up proof that the president definitely engaged in or profited from the foreign business dealings of his family members. However, Comer has said previously that the inquiry could lead to legislative reforms or criminal referrals instead of an impeachment vote.
If President Biden declines, it is unclear if the committee would attempt to obtain his testimony through another means, such as a closed-door interview request or subpoena.