Biden impeachment latest: GOP’s own witnesses contradict main claims in ‘disaster’ first hearing

New Mexico Democrat Melanie Stansbury asked on Thursday, “what is this hearing actually about?”

“It’s a campaign strategy. It’s a misuse of official resources. It is this committee and loyalists of Donald Trump doing his bidding to bolster his chances of winning back the White House and securing their majority in the next election,” she argued.

“And in the process, to diminish the name of impeachment which is enshrined in the US Constitution, which we take an oath to uphold and to make Donald Trump’s crimes including his two impeachments and his 91 criminal indictment counts look like they’re not serious crimes,” she added.

“When you think about it, it’s chilling. It’s truly chilling. It’s another attack on our democracy and our institutions. It’s another attack on fair and free elections and the use of this committee to try to carry it out. So I just want to say I think it’s obvious who the grand puppet master is here. He tweeted about it on his own social and we see the long arm, but little hands of Mr Donald Trump, whose fingerprints are all over this hearing and this sham impeachment,” she added.

“But we know that the American people are smart, that they’re not going to be fooled by what’s happening here today, and especially as they shut the government down in two days with catastrophic impacts for our communities,” Ms Stansbury said.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez accused a fellow panel member of presenting a fake image.

“The gentleman from Florida presented on the screen something that looked, appeared to be a screenshot of a text message containing an explosive allegation. That screenshot of what appeared to be a text message was a fabricated image!” she said.

White House spokesman Ian Sams weighed in on the impeachment hearing on Thursday.

“These are the Republicans’ own witnesses! Admitting there is not evidence to warrant this impeachment stunt Proving this is nothing more than a baseless wild goose chase,” he wrote on X.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez said, “This is an embarrassment to the time and people of this country. And I would ask that the chair and I would ask that this committee elevate to the promise of our duties here and comport ourselves with the consistency and practice that is required of our seats and our duty and our oath to our responsibilities here.”

All four of the witnesses at the hearing told Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, that they had not witnessed Mr Biden committing any crimes or were presenting any firsthand accounts.

“The allegations being presented by the majority are extremely serious and the prospect of impeachment is also a gravely serious matter which has been echoed by our witnesses today. And any serious impeachment investigation or inquiry relies on firsthand sworn testimony of witnesses to high crimes or misdemeanours. Today, the Republican majority has called in three witnesses to advance their case,” she said.

“Mr Turley, I have a simple question for you. In your testimony today. Are you presenting any firsthand witness account of what’s committed by the President of the United States?” she asked.

Mr Turley and all the other witnesses said they were not.

“To clarify, two individuals presented today who do have firsthand accounts surrounding the progeny of these applications are being blocked from testifying by the Republican majority,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said.

“The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has uncovered a mountain of evidence, revealing how Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain,” chair James Comer of Kentucky said as he opened the hearing on Thursday.

“For years, President Biden has lied to the American people about his knowledge of and participation in his family’s corrupt business schemes, at least 10 times Joe Biden lied to the American people that he never spoke to his family about their business dealings,” he added.

“He lied by telling the American people that there was an absolute wall between his official government duties and his personal life. Let’s be clear. There was no wall. The door was wide open to those who purchased what a business associate described as the Biden brand,” Mr Comer said.

Legal observers have consistently said there’s not enough evidence to say that Mr Biden is guilty of corruption.

Mr Comer claimed that “evidence reveals that then-Vice President Joe Biden spoke, dined, and developed relationships with his family’s foreign business targets. These business targets include foreign oligarchs who sent millions of dollars to his family. It also includes a Chinese national who wired a quarter of a million dollars to his son”.

“Joe Biden also lied to the American people about his family making money in China. He continued to lie about it even when the House Oversight Committee uncovered bank wires, revealing how the Bidens’ received millions from a Chinese company with significant ties to Chinese intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party,” he added.

“Just this week, we uncovered two additional wires into Hunter Biden that originated in Beijing from Chinese nationals. This happened when Joe Biden was running for President of the United States and Joe Biden’s home is listed as the beneficiary address,” he claimed. “Today, the House Oversight Committee has uncovered how the Bidens and their associates created over 20 shell companies, most of which were created when Joe Biden was vice president and raked in over $20 million between 2014 and 2019. We’ve also identified nine Biden family members who have participated in or benefited from these shady business schemes. What were the Biden’s selling to make all this money?”

Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin slammed the witnesses called by the Republicans on the panel.

“Not one of them an eyewitness to a presidential crime of any kind. Not one of them is a direct fact witness about any of the events related to Ukraine and Burisma,” he said.

Mr Raskin said that “Speaker McCarthy’s invertebrate appeasement of the most fanatical elements of his conference now threatens the well-being of every American ... the Constitution is irrelevant to them. What counts is what Donald Trump wants”.

Witness Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant, said in his opening statement: “Let me be clear, I’m not prejudging the facts that have emerged to date with regard to the Biden family and associates, businesses and the money they received that had had its origins from foreign sources.”

“I am not here today to even suggest that there was corruption, fraud or any wrongdoing. In my opinion, more information needs to be gathered and assessed before I would make such an assessment,” he added.

Impeachment hearing witness Professor Michael Gerhardt said in his opening statement that there’s “the necessity for credible evidence of the commission of treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanours”.

“There is not at least not that I’ve yet heard such credible evidence – let me give you an example of what I fear is similar to the current proceedings,” he said.

“Hunter Biden is arrested for speeding in a car owned by his father, and the police go after the father,” he said about the impeachment proceedings. “I don’t think that’s how the law should work. I don’t think that’s how impeachment should work.”

“Congressman Jordan, whom I respect a great deal, when he said there are four facts. Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma. Hunter Biden was not qualified. So far, by the way, nothing about President Biden. Third, there were executives who asked Hunter Biden for help. Again, not yet any proof of any kind of complicity of President Biden. And lastly, Joe Biden gave a speech,” he added. “If that’s what exists as a basis for this inquiry, it is not sufficient.”