'Running on empty': Jamie Raskin opens latest Biden impeachment hearing with GOP takedown

The House Oversight and Reform Committee began another Joe Biden impeachment hearing Wednesday, and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) opened with a takedown of the Republican Party's inquiry so far.

It has become clear to many Republicans that they don't have the votes for impeaching Biden as the attempt at collecting incriminating evidence has largely fallen flat.

"The impeachment bus is running on empty," Raskin said in his opening statement.

Before the committee Wednesday was former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who worked to gather "dirt" on the Bidens from Ukraine.

Another witness is Tony Bobulinski, who Raskin characterized as being a shill of Donald Trump.

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"Mr. Bobulinski made his hazy allegations against the Bidens public for the first time at a press conference choreographed by the Trump for President campaign, which provided him a gaggle of journalists and even a dress shirt that they went out and bought for him to wear to the event," alleged Raskin.

"Hours later, Mr. Bobulinski points to the second 2020 presidential debate as Donald Trump's personal guest, where he was seated with Kid Rock and Mark Meadows."

Raskin continued, saying that his GOP colleagues are trying to "save face" with accusations of criminal behavior based on the information they "found."

"But criminal referrals require evidence of crime," he said. "And the only crimes we have seen are those of the GOP's own star witnesses alike, Russian asset Alexander Smirnov, Chinese agent Gal Luft, Devin Archer and Jason Galanis."

In the hearing Wednesday, Raskin said that the witness the Democrats brought forward, Parnas, would cast a "piercing light" on what was actually unfolding.

"And he has reason to note that he, too, used to be a MAGA, peddling lies and disinformation to smear Joe Biden. Today, he joins a long line of self-exiled from Trump World who could no longer stomach all the corruption" Raskin said, reading off names of those who have been willing to step forward and reveal what unfolded in Donald Trump's administration.

Raskin mentioned former Vice President Mike Pence in his group of self-exiled, pointing out he refused to endorse Trump last week.

See the opening statement in the video below or at the link here.

"The impeachment bus is running on empty" -- Jamie Raskinyoutu.be