The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
James Comer is not the same as Hunter Biden
When Kentucky Congressman James Comer decided to investigate and ultimately pursue an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, he knew the political waters might get choppy.
“I fully expected the press and the Democrats would work overtime to cover up for Biden, and I knew the White House would come after me,” Comer told me. “But even with my experience being the target of dishonest attacks, I had no idea just how dumb it would be.”
At issue is an allegation from the Associated Press that Comer’s ownership of six acres of land in Monroe County, held in a Limited Liability Corporation (an “LLC” in common business parlance) called Farm Team Properties, makes him a hypocrite because he is investigating the president and his son, Hunter Biden, for the Biden family’s use of shell corporations to mask the source and movement of tens of millions of dollars.
“It is a disgrace that the Associated Press wrote this article, claiming I’m somehow the same as Hunter Biden,” Comer said. “Anyone with any financial literacy knows that an LLC with assets is clearly not a ‘shell’ company. My company has assets and an active business purpose of land management, real estate speculation, and hunting leasing. The Bidens have over 20 actual shell companies with no assets and no known business purpose.
Comer owns land, the Bidens own smoke and mirrors
“I own land, and the land is an asset with a purpose. The Bidens own smoke and mirrors designed to hide millions in payments from foreign sources that went for services that not a single person can define,” Comer said. “But sure, we’re all the same, I guess,” he said, laughing. “Maybe I ought to take up painting instead of farming.”
Comer is a well-known farmer in his hometown of Tompkinsville, Kentucky, where he owns roughly 1,600 acres. Even the Associated Press reports that his business interests are “meticulously documented” in his congressional financial disclosure forms. As for the LLC that owns the six acres, Comer disputes that it is designed to create opacity. His office said that Comer previously consulted with the House Ethics Committee to ensure he was properly disclosing it on the required forms. Comer bought the land before becoming a Member of Congress.
Comer follows facts to hold the powerful accountable
Comer’s interest in following facts over partisan considerations is well known back home. Shortly after taking office as Kentucky agriculture commissioner in 2011, he partnered with Democratic Auditor Adam Edelen to investigate the department.
The examination culminated with the previous commissioner, a Republican, going to prison.
Elected to Congress in 2016, Comer didn’t set out to become the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee. But as his colleagues left the committee or Congress altogether, Comer again accepted the responsibility of following the facts and holding the powerful accountable. He says he doesn’t wish for any president to be impeached, but that his job is to follow the money and the information.
“It is amazing to me that the press has decided to just chant ‘without evidence, without evidence’ like some sort of cult-inspired mantra,” Comer said. “The president’s family has benefited enormously from foreign payments, and some of these sources are extremely shady. We have bank records. Documents.
Witness and whistleblower testimony. Text messages where Hunter Biden is threatening people with retribution from his father if they don’t pay up. None of this information is in dispute.
Comer has evidence against Biden and public support
“Where I come from, that’s what we call evidence,” Comer said. “Whether the House decides to impeach President Biden, I cannot predict. Maybe the House decides this doesn’t rise to the level. But my job is to investigate things that smell funny. And the way the Biden family has made its money, with Joe Biden as the product and Hunter Biden as the salesman, stinks to high Heaven,” Comer said.
Comer seems to have substantial public support for his view. An Associated Press poll taken in October found “most adults say President Biden has at the very least acted unethically in his handling of the international business dealings of his son Hunter, including about a third who say he did something illegal.” And an NPR-PBS-Marist University poll released last week showed 49% of Americans support the impeachment inquiry, including nearly one quarter of Democrats.
Comer says he’s proud of his work, despite the ferocious pushback and personal attacks. He notes that when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched the first impeachment inquiry against former President Donald Trump in 2019, two Democrats defected.
“I got 100% of the Republicans to support the inquiry, despite the obvious divisions in our party. For goodness sakes I have Don Bacon and Matt Gaetz coming to the same conclusion. Pelosi never achieved that sort of party unity when she went after Trump, and she was heralded as some crusading genius.
“It is clear that our evidence is persuasive and merits a serious review to see if the president of the United States is compromised by a son for whom he clearly has a blind spot,” Comer said. “No predictions on the future, but I believe we’ve shown, at a minimum, that a lot of shady foreign money changed hands to the benefit of the Biden family and that the president wasn’t honest about it in 2020 or since.”