Last Call For The End Of A Taxing Explanation

As expected, new House Republican Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer has tossed the investigation into Trump's taxes with no explanation as to why, in favor of issuing multiple subpoenas for Hunter Biden's business associates instead. Ranking Democratic member Rep. Jamie Raskin is letting everyone know what Comer is trying to hide.

 

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, says Republican chairman Rep. James Comer has abandoned efforts to get the financial documents of former President Donald Trump while quietly digging into the finances of the current president's son.

In a letter to Comer released on Monday, Raskin, D-Md., said it had come to his attention that the Kentucky Republican had coordinated with Trump's lawyers in an effort to block the committee from receiving documents from Mazars USA, the president's former accounting firm.

Raskin argued Comer's alleged decision to halt the execution of the production of documents was hypocritical because he had also issued a subpoena related to an investigation into President Joe Biden's son Hunter.

"You appear to have engaged in these efforts to prevent the production of evidence of former President Trump’s misconduct during his time in office while simultaneously issuing an invasive and overbroad subpoena to private individuals as part of an investigation targeting the business dealings of family members of President Biden who have never held public office," Raskin said.

Comer's office denied working with Trump's lawyers.

Raskin alluded to documents that the committee received from Mazars under the Democratic majority last fall that revealed authoritarian governments like China and Saudi Arabia spent hundreds of dollars at Trump-owned properties while he was president.

"In the face of mounting evidence that foreign governments sought to influence the Trump Administration by playing to President Trump’s financial interests, you and President Trump’s representatives appear to have acted in coordination to bury evidence of such misconduct," said Raskin.

Raskin said he learned that Trump attorney Patrick Strawbridge wrote to Mazars in January stating that it was his understanding that the committee, now under Republican control, had no interest in completing the production of documents under the original subpoena. "When counsel for Mazars sought clarification, Mr. Strawbridge confirmed that this direction had been provided to him, twice, by the Acting General Counsel of the House of Representatives, in his capacity as counsel to the Committee," Raskin said. 

 

So yes, the SCOTUS gambit here worked. The Roberts Court made the determination that the House Oversight Committee could have Trump's tax returns, but wasted two years in doing so. As such, Comer is dropping the investigation.

 

But it means that Hunter Biden's tax information -- and Joe Biden's, eventually -- will be fast-tracked for Comer's abuse later on.  Count on that.