House Republicans are wary of making Rep. James Comer (R-KY) the frontman for their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
The House Oversight Committee chairman has been leading the probes of the president and his son Hunter Biden, and while his GOP colleagues have praised the Kentucky lawmaker for digging up fresh evidence in those probes, some Republicans are disappointed by his slipshod messaging, reported Axios.
"Comer's entire strategy has been too broad on the investigations, and too narrow on communications," said one GOP leadership aide. "The committee should focus on firsthand testimony and bank statements."
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The oversight chairman's TV performances have worried some Republicans and their top aides, who are concerned Comer could fuel a backlash that would spill into the 2024 elections, and some feel he should focus less on placing splashy headlines on conservative media and stick to hard evidence.
GOP lawmakers and their aides praised Comer for digging up new dirt on information about Biden and his son's business interests that contradict the president's prior statements, such as sworn testimony from a business associate who said Biden attended a dinner with one of Hunter's Ukrainian business associates in 2015, which his campaign denied in 2020.
But Comer has undermined his own credibility with sloppy handling of that information, such as his Newsmax interview last month misstating how much the Biden family had received from overseas sources and mixing up the timeline of the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor.
Comer will continue to lead the impeachment inquiry, but House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) would lead any impeachment procedure that might result from the probe.
