Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee who is leading the Republican effort to investigate President Joe Biden, says the House may not hold an impeachment vote after all.
Comer told Spectrum News that the “math keeps getting worse” for Republicans, whose razor-thin majority in the House got even tighter after losing a Republican-held New York congressional seat earlier this week.
Comer’s monthslong probe has not produced any evidence that Joe Biden has benefitted from his son Hunter’s business activities.
The president has called the inquiry a “baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts.”
Comer expects the committee will soon have a report, but no matter what happens in the House, he concedes the Senate won’t convict.
“The accountability, I hope will come this year, but it may come next year with a new president, a new attorney general,” said Comer. “At the end of the day, my goal is to get the truth out there and hold people accountable for wrongdoing. That may encompass impeachment. If it doesn’t, that’s fine with me.”
Comer's comments come after Republicans’ push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas succeeded by one vote this week, and only on the second try. The Democratic-controlled Senate will take up the case at the end of the month, where it is expected to quickly be quashed.
As chair of the House oversight committee, Comer is leading an investigation into Biden and his family’s business dealings.
“I think the conference will get to see what happens with this Mayorkas impeachment in the Senate, and how serious the Senate treats that as to whether or not we impeach Joe Biden over here or we just focus on holding him accountable,” Comer said.
Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky. criticized both impeachment efforts, saying Republicans need to get back to work.
“We need to actually get rid of these political investigations where there’s been no evidence of any crimes or misdemeanors to this point and focus on the work of Congress,” he said.
When asked about reports that some fellow Republicans are unhappy with his investigation and his leadership of it, Comer pointed to what he said were more than 60 members who have asked him to attend a campaign event on their behalf over the last year as a sign that his colleagues are happy with what he’s trying to do.