Rep. James Comer (R-KY) has been hit by a complaint that he’s been doing some serious cherry-picking.
The accusation stems from the deposition of Hunter Biden’s friend Kevin Morris, who Thursday told House investigators behind the Republicans’ impeachment probe that he’d lent his newly sober friend $5 million.
Comer was quick to issue a press release suggesting the testimony raised “ethical and campaign finance concerns for President Joe Biden," along with a few other select facts.
But Morris’ attorney Bryan Sullivan was equally quick to accuse Comer of misrepresenting his client for political gain in a letter posted to X and reported by Rolling Stone Friday.
“Not two hours after we left Mr. Morris’ transcribed interview, you issued a press statement with cherry‐picked, out of context and totally misleading descriptions of what Mr. Morris said,” Sullivan wrote in his letter to Comer.
"We do not need to have this dueling rendition of what Mr. Morris actually said. Just release the full transcript."
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Sullivan also condemned the “practice of Republicans in making partial leaks of witness’ statements rather than releasing the actual [deposition] transcript so the public would know the truth and not your often inaccurate spin and misstatements.”
This practice, as described by Sullivan, is the key reason Hunter Biden repeatedly requested his deposition to the House Oversight committee not take place behind close doors, as Comer and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) have demanded.
Hunter Biden twice appeared at the Capitol to showcase his readiness to testify, but Republicans condemned his actions as political theater and, rather than interview him publicly, threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Hunter Biden has since agreed to testify first behind closed doors then publicly, but Sullivan said Friday there is reason to be concerned.
“Other potential witnesses should be on notice that a statement from you or your staff that you will treat a witness ‘fairly’ means you will do what you want,” Sullivan reportedly wrote, “which is what you have done repeatedly, and is the farthest thing from ‘fair’ as you can get.”
Specifically, Sullivan took umbrage with Comer’s failing to include Morris’ testimony that he never thought about the president’s campaign when he lent his son money and Comer’s use of quotation marks around the word loan.
This was done, Sullivan suggests, “to give the impression that Mr. Morris’ loans to Mr. Hunter Biden were somehow not real.”
According to Sullivan, Morris testified the loans had been reviewed by lawyers with proper repayment terms and interest.
"Let the public see the truth," he urged. "Why would you be reluctant or afraid to do that, other than it will disprove your spin?"
