In an NBC News profile, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) was described as a man who once embraced bipartisanship, only to turn into one of the most ferocious right-wing attackers of the opposing party.
An anecdote highlighted in the profile recalled Comer calling aformer statehouse colleague, Democrat Derrick Graham, to serve on his transition team when he took over the state's Agriculture Department in 2011.
"The friendly gesture was the kind of bipartisan comity Comer came to be known for during his decadelong career" in the state, NBC News wrote. Now that he is in Congress, however, things have changed, earning him "the wrath of the very Democrats who once praised him."
As chairman of the House Oversight Commitee, Comer has desperately searched for something that could connect President Joe Biden to his son Hunter, who has struggled with drug addiction, depression and a number of challenges connected to both.
Ahead of Donald Trump's campaign for president in 2020, Rudy Giuliani spent a lot of time in Ukraine trying to spin up conspiracy theories about Biden and his son. Giuliani's efforts were largely dismissed until Comer took over the House Oversight Committee and tried to find evidence of fraud.
One of the younger Biden's business associates, Devon Archer, appeared before Comer's committee in early August, testifying he's not aware of any wrongdoing by Joe Biden. Republicans and Fox News declared it bombshell testimony that could contribute to impeachment of the president.
"It’s a different Jamie Comer in Washington than what we have here in Kentucky,” said Graham, who now serves as the minority leader in the Kentucky House.
“It really does surprise me, because this individual I see when I watch him on TV is totally different than the individual that I served with in the House,” Graham continued. “And it’s unfortunate that we have come to a place where it’s not about policy — it’s about personality. And that’s not a good thing for governing. ... It’s a division that is causing people to draw sides. And that’s not good for our country.”
Comer told NBC News that he almost went back home to run for governor and thinks he would have won.
“But I knew I had the opportunity to be chairman of this committee. I knew it would be, in my opinion, the most high-profile position in the House," he said.
Comer's efforts have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Republican Party and for himself, the report explained. In 2021, Comer raised just $230,000 in the first six months of the year. In 2023, he raised $1 million. The cash helps reinforce that investigations are good for business. It might not be for elections, however.
But Comer swore in the interview that he could still be friendly to Democrats.
“Nothing has changed. I’ve always been bipartisan. I just happened to be leading this investigation that they consider partisan because I’m investigating Biden, a Democrat, for corruption,” Comer said.
