Rep. James Comer (R-KY) placed blame on the lack of credibility of congressional investigations squarely on the shoulders of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Schiff, of course, led the first impeachment rush to judgment against former President Donald Trump, chairs the House Intelligence Committee, and is a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 incident.
Top Republican says congressional investigations don't have much credibility: 'I blame Adam Schiff for that' https://t.co/hQnRsvwIdm (The Hill)
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who is expected to become chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee next year, said he blames Re…
— U.S. House News (@USHouseNews) November 23, 2022
Comer told Punchbowl News that he doesn’t believe congressional probes “have a whole lot of credibility right now.” He added that both parties have some blame, though Schiff carries the lion’s share.
He also assigned partial responsibility for delegitimizing these investigations to the late Rep. Elijah Cummings.
The Republican, who is expected to lead the House Oversight and Reform Committee next year, said he wants to change that. He is preparing to take over for outgoing Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).
Comer may be quite busy. Republicans are expected to use their new House majority that begins in January to probe areas such as COVID-19’s origins, the bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan, the border crisis, and Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
Schiff has a notoriously uneven record concerning probes. His handling of the Russia collusion investigation is infamous in that he several times made public claims of having evidence that the 2016 Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the election.
This, of course, turned out to be a fabrication.
Earlier this year, Schiff similarly said that the former president was intimately involved in moves to overturn the 2020 presidential election. However, he claimed he did not want to expose his evidence to avoid getting out in front of the House select committee.
Comer also noted the random and sweeping way that Cummings subpoenaed “everyone in a presidential administration” before his death in October 2019.
The Republican pledged to change that, asserting that “when you get a subpoena from Oversight…it’s going to mean something.”
Comer promised that the active committee will not draw effort away from GOP priorities, which include inflation reduction, controlling the border with Mexico, reducing violent crime, and forming a sensible energy policy.
