Impeachment hearing features a witness in prison, a Putin mask, an empty chair

[RAY BOGAN]

A Congressman wearing a Putin Mask, an empty chair for Hunter Biden, and a key witness testifying via teleconference from prison, that was the reality at the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment hearing into Joe Biden Wednesday. The hearing included some made for TV moments, but no new information. 

Republicans continued to push their narrative that Joe Biden and his family made $24 million off his public service. 

[James Comer, R-Ky.]

“The Biden’s sell Joe Biden, that is their business,” Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said.  “Joe shows up, shakes a few hands in front of his son and says, ‘take care of my boy’, or something similar, and the money flows to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.” 

[RAY BOGAN]

Democrats say Republicans have not been able to prove any wrongdoing during their more than yearlong investigation. 

[Jamie Raskin, D-Md.]

“With any luck, today marks the end of perhaps the most spectacular failure in the history of congressional investigations – the effort to find a high crime or misdemeanor committed by Joe Biden and then to impeach him for it,” Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said. 

[RAY BOGAN]

Democrats brought in a former ally of Donald Trump to testify. Lev Parnas worked with Rudy Giuliani on behalf of the former president in an effort to find evidence of corruption with the Biden’s dealings in Ukraine. 

[Lev Parnas]

“In nearly a year traveling the world and interviewing officials in different countries I found precisely zero evidence of the Biden’s corruption in Ukraine,” Parnas told the committee. 

[RAY BOGAN]

Republican brought in two witnesses who were former business partners of Hunter Biden. 

Jason Galanis, who worked with Hunter Biden on acquisition projects, testified from prison. 

[Jason Galanis]

“The entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden.” Galanis said. 

The other witness, Tony Bobulinski, worked with Hunter Biden on a project involving a Chinese Energy company. He said Joe Biden was the brand sold by Hunter Biden to those seeking to gain access and influence with the United States government. 

[Tony Bobulinski]

“Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family’s business; he was an active, aware enabler who met with business associates such as myself to further the business, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability,” Bobulinski said.  

[RAY BOGAN]

Bobulinski first came forward with these accusations in October 2020 when former President Trump invited him to be his guest at a presidential debate. He has repeated many of the same accusations since that time. It is leading to questions about the next steps for the impeachment inquiry. 

SAN asked Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., where Republicans plan to take it from here.  

[Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo.]

“What’s hopefully is going to be added is that you guys actually will cover it. Because if you ask most Americans they don’t, they don’t know the story,” Burlison said. “(Hunter) was doing business with some of the most corrupt individuals in the world.” 

[RAY BOGAN]

Rep. Raskin said Republicans appear to be preparing to write criminal referrals, rather than moving toward an impeachment vote. Those referrals would urge the Justice Department to investigate specific crimes but they would not be binding.