Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a leading Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has launched an offensive against Republican impeachment efforts targeting President Joe Biden.
What Happened: Raskin leveraged the GOP’s language against them, spearheading a subpoena for Donald Trump’s ally Rudy Giuliani to undermine the Republican-led impeachment inquiry, reported The Hill.
Raskin, in his statement, depicted the investigation as a scheme ignited by former President Trump, emphasizing the persistent skepticism among several Republicans. "If Republicans had a smoking gun or even a dripping water pistol, they would be presenting it today.”
See Also: Trump Loses Support From Republican Voters, But Holds 43-Point Lead: Which Three Candidates Gained?
He also took aim at the previously debunked Burisma conspiracy theory, noting that one of its primary propagators, Lev Parnas, has since disavowed it. “They've got nothing on President Joe Biden. All they can do is return to the thoroughly demolished lie that Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump launched five years ago. The Burisma conspiracy theory, a fairytale so preposterous that one of the main authors, Lev Parnas, has now disowned and repudiated it," Raskin said.
"They don't have a shred of evidence against President Biden. Do you think I'm being harsh? Here's what some Republicans had to say over the last week about the actions of the Republicans," Raskin said, displaying GOP colleagues quotes on a poster board.
The Democratic representative concluded his opening remarks by attempting to initiate a vote to subpoena Giuliani and Parnas, whom he accused of originating and spreading the lie that underpins the “sham impeachment.”
Raskin’s attempt, however, was blocked by the committee's Republicans.
Why It Matters: James Comer, the House Oversight Committee chair, announced earlier this week that the committee would present evidence and hear from experts about potential crimes committed by the Bidens.
Raskin also brought a 62-hour ‘Shutdown Clock' to Biden‘s impeachment inquiry to protest against the GOP's focus on investigating the president and not the impending government shutdown.
The Maryland representative also lambasted the Comer-led GOP committee during Thursday's hearing, comparing Trump's followers to "a mission for the wicked witch of the west."
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