House Republicans’ efforts to unearth incriminating evidence against President Joe Biden through investigations into his business affairs have backfired on them tremendously.
Major Setback
The arrest of former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov for fabricating claims about Biden marked a major setback for their endeavours.
Impeachment Inquiry
Smirnov has been charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving Biden, his son Hunter, and a Ukrainian energy company, which is central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
False Allegations Uncovered
In June 2020, Smirnov falsely informed the FBI that executives linked to the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma had paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016, as outlined in an indictment.
Challenging Bribery Allegations
Investigations reveal Smirnov’s interactions with Burisma were normal business engagements in 2017, challenging his earlier bribery allegations made during Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
Warning Ignored
Columnist Hayes Brown highlighted that despite multiple warnings from the FBI to offer only accurate information, Smirnov continued disseminating unfounded, false claims about the Bidens.
Never Been Charged
“If not for the Republicans trying to bring down President Biden, Smirnov many never have been charged,” Brown observed in an MSNBC.com article.
Shifts in Narrative
The narrative turned when a past IRS official told the House that David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, sought special counsel status for a more vigorous pursuit of Hunter Biden, a claim Weiss refuted.
Attempt to Shield Hunter
Despite efforts by the Biden administration to address concerns, Republicans continued to vocally assert that there was an attempt to shield Hunter Biden.
Increase Authority
Consequently, Attorney General Merrick Garland took decisive action and appointed Weiss as a special counsel in August.
Brown Wrote, “That increased his authority, which he used to bring charges against Smirnov.”
Another Setback
Smirnov’s indictment was another blow to the GOP’s series of self-inflicted setbacks following their hasty initiation of an impeachment inquiry against Biden.
Scant Evidence
Republicans hastily impeachment inquiry against Biden, highlighting the scant evidence they had amassed.
Closed-Door Testimony
Contrary to Republicans assertions, the closed-door testimony provided by Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden’s, failed to yield any valuable information for the Republicans.
Biden not Involved
Brown noted that, upon the release of the transcript, it became evident that Archer had conveyed that Joe Biden was not involved in his son’s business affairs, despite his son’s efforts to leverage the family name.
Hapless Probe
He said, “Republicans’ pending deposition of Hunter Biden this month is also unlikely to provide any substance to their hapless probe.”
Acknowledge the Futility
Brown suggested that the prudent course of action would be to acknowledge the futility of further pursuing this matter and to cease efforts in this direction.
Failing to Appease
However, he stated that this would require Republicans to concede to their constituents that their promises to uncover criminal activity by Biden were unsubstantiated, thereby failing to appease their base’s demands for his prosecution.
Efforts Double Down
“More likely, though, they’ll double down and insist that Smirnov is being silenced for his bold truth-telling, said Brown
Inquiry Risks Backlash
He concluded, “If they do and the pattern holds, though, that decision will come back to bite them even harder once it becomes increasingly apparent that there’s nothing real propping up their Potemkin impeachment inquiry into the president.”
End Impeachment Inquiry
Following Smirnov’s indictment, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, urged for the termination of the Biden impeachment inquiry, labeling the Republican allegations against the president as consistently based on falsehoods constructed from conspiracy theories.
Stop Promoting Nonsense
Raskin called on Speaker Mike Johnson, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, and House Republicans “to stop promoting this nonsense and end their doomed impeachment inquiry.”
Abonded the Inquiry
President Joe Biden also stated on Friday that Republicans should abandon their impeachment inquiry against him following the unraveling of the Smirnov testimony.
“He is Lying”
Biden said, “He is lying and it should be dropped. It’s been an outrageous effort from the beginning.”
“Nothing has Changed”
Despite the debunking of Smirnov’s claims as fabricated, Republicans persist in advocating for the impeachment inquiry. A spokesperson for House Oversight Chair James Comer told CNN, “Nothing has changed” in light of the allegations.
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