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Republican House Aides Scorch Party’s First Impeachment Hearing [1]

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Date: 2023-09-28 18:05:55

The premiere that Republicans had hoped would serve as the rocket launch of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden landed with a thud among some in the party's ranks.

After over three and a half hours of statements and questioning of witnesses at the House Oversight Committee's first impeachment hearing on Thursday, a number of House Republican aides slammed the exercise, arguing GOP leadership "botched" the strategy.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, caught heavy criticism.

"Comer and staff botched this bad," one GOP House aide told The Messenger.

Republicans called three academic witnesses to testify at the hearing, all of whom have no material knowledge of the allegations at the center of the impeachment investigation into Biden.

Instead, the witnesses have used the time to lay out the justification of the launching of an impeachment inquiry. One aide said Republicans should have called material witnesses, like IRS whistleblowers who alleged corruption in the federal investigation into Hunter Biden.

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer, R-Ky., presides over a Committee hearing titled "The Basis for an Impeachment Inquiry of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr." on Capitol Hill on September 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

"So much confusing info from Republicans and Dems are on message," the GOP House staffer said. "How can you not be better prepared for this?"

Democrats stuck to the messaging they have throughout the House Republican investigation into Biden, arguing the GOP has been unable to find evidence that implicates the president in wrongdoing or criminal conduct.

Another House Republican aide was more generous to the Republican performance, saying Democrats are conflating the impeachment inquiry with actual impeachment proceedings. But the aide said the hearing was being "overshadowed" by the looming government shutdown.

"They should've done this after the spending battle," the House Republican aide said. "On any other day this would be the biggest story in the country but it's overshadowed."

When asked by The Messenger if they were paying attention to the impeachment hearing, another House Republican aide responded: "Spending spending spending spending."

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[1] Url: https://themessenger.com/politics/republican-house-aides-scorch-partys-first-impeachment-hearing

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