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The House Oversight Committee recently made another effort to conduct an impeachment hearing regarding President Joe Biden. However, things took an unusual twist on Wednesday when one of the three witnesses presenting their case to the Republican-led panel started disclosing negative information about Rudolph Giuliani, the disgraced former personal lawyer of ex-president Donald Trump.
According to Lev Parnas, a citizen of Ukraine and the United States, who was previously incarcerated for breaking laws related to campaign finance and fraud, he played an important role in a plan to uncover negative information on Mr. Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, before the 2020 US presidential election.
He stated that Mr Giuliani had given him the responsibility of gathering damaging information about the Bidens in order for various networks to spread false information about them. This was all in an effort for Mr Trump and his supporters to tarnish the Bidens’ reputations and ensure a victory for Mr Trump in the 2020 election.
Parnas, who acknowledged being on parole after completing a prison sentence for his crimes, stated to the committee that the claims made by the Republican majority about the Bidens were untrue.
“I have consistently maintained that there was no proof of corruption involving the Bidens in Ukraine – because it simply did not exist,” he stated in his introductory remarks.
Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and former colleague of Rudy Giuliani, is called to give testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Parnas went on to explain that the reasoning behind the Republicans’ impeachment investigation against Mr. Biden is built upon falsified information, being perpetuated by the Kremlin, and lacks any solid evidence.
During this entire ordeal, there has been no evidence from a reliable source to support the claim that Joe or Hunter Biden engaged in corrupt actions in Ukraine. In fact, various Ukrainian officials and countries have explicitly stated that the Bidens did nothing unlawful, as the individual listing off a number of those sources emphasized.
Parnas stated that the chief executive officer of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company where Hunter Biden served as a board member, declined a deal to drop criminal charges he was facing in return for sharing information about the Bidens. However, no such information was provided.
During the recent indictment of ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov on charges related to fabricating negative information about the Bidens, a statement was made pointing out that all information regarding the Bidens and Ukraine has only been shared by Russia and its agents. This statement was made to those present, emphasizing the FBI form released by the Republican majority which prominently featured the falsely created derogatory information.
During my journey, I did not come across any evidence of the Bidens’ involvement in illegal activities. However, what I did discover during that period was the actual plot orchestrated by the Kremlin to manipulate our elections through various means involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. The ultimate goal of this conspiracy was to secure a second term for Trump, ultimately benefiting Vladimir Putin. This statement was made by the speaker.
Parnas, who became known to the public after being detained during the first of the House’s two impeachment investigations of Mr. Trump, was one of only two individuals with criminal convictions to testify before the Republican-led panel. The hearing did not reveal any new evidence, but rather consisted of unproven allegations by biased parties.
James Galanis, a witness for the Republican party, gave testimony via a video call from a federal penitentiary in Alabama. He is referred to as inmate 80739-198 while serving his sentence.
Jason Galanis is giving testimony via a video link from his prison location, during the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s hearing.
Last month, during a recorded interview, Galanis, who used to be a business associate of Hunter Biden, informed investigators that President Biden was never involved with any company connected to his son. He also testified that he was unaware of any instance where Mr. Biden used his official position to benefit the business venture that he, Archer, and Hunter Biden were a part of.
However, the person found guilty of committing fraud, belonging to a family involved in criminal activities and whose leader, his father, was prosecuted by Mr. Giuliani in the 1980s, informed the panel on Wednesday that the president was expected to have a role in one of the companies after stepping down as vice president in 2017. Despite this, there is no evidence that he was actually involved in the said business venture.
When Republicans questioned the imprisoned criminal, he said that Hunter Biden referred to using his father’s connections as a “Biden lift” to secure business partnerships. He claimed that Hunter Biden was actively using his family name to gain advantages for his business pursuits.
In a judicial ruling from 2018, Ronnie Abrams, a US District Judge, stated that it was Galanis, not Hunter Biden, who was using Hunter’s family name to benefit himself.
The author stated that Galanis had been trying to use his partner in business, Devon Archer, to get to Mr. Biden. This was explained by other co-defendants as describing Archer as the most significant contributor, the flashiest person, and a major player in conversations that were recorded and presented as evidence against them.
Additionally, he informed another person involved in the case that two individuals associated with Archer were “Chris Heinz and Hunter Biden, the stepson of John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State, and the son of Joe Biden, the Vice President.”
At the Trump-endorsed press conference before a 2020 debate between the former president and Mr Biden, Tony Bobulinski, a retired naval officer and supporter of Mr Trump, was also a Republican witness.
Tony Bobulinski gives testimony at the hearing for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
During his testimony, Mr. Bobulinski, represented by an attorney from Elections LLC, a firm consisting of former Trump administration officials that has received payment from Mr. Trump’s political action committee, frequently engaged in dramatic behavior. He openly showed disdain for the Democratic members of the panel and specifically targeted Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Representative Daniel Goldman of New York in his initial statement.
Without presenting any evidence, he accused both parties of fabricating stories about him and his testimony. He continuously disputed with Democratic members and avoided answering their questions by filibustering.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow Democrat on the panel from New York, challenged the former US Navy officer by repeatedly demanding that he specify any potential wrongdoing by President Biden in connection to the situation.
The New York congresswoman repeatedly asked Mr Bobulinski which laws he believed Mr Biden had violated, but he was unable to provide any specific details.
Even though Republican members mentioned pictures of supposed text messages and emails from a damaged BlackBerry owned by Mr Bobulinski as proof of President Biden’s involvement in Hunter’s business dealings, they rejected a suggestion from Mr Raskin to subpoena the old phone in order to verify the authenticity of the messages.
The motion to subpoena records from Jared Kushner, who received $2 billion in investments in his hedge fund from a Saudi wealth fund after the end of the Trump administration, was rejected by a voice vote. This occurred in addition to the defeat of another motion to subpoena records from Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser.
The recent hearing was another chaotic public session organized by House Republicans to continue their investigation, which has failed to find any proof of the president’s wrongdoing despite being underway for over a year under the GOP’s control.
A significant portion of the statements and evidence presented were the same or very similar to what was previously stated by committee members in public meetings, including one held last year. During that meeting, a Republican witness, law professor Jonathan Turley from George Washington University, acknowledged that the GOP had not uncovered any evidence to support an impeachment investigation.
The Independent was informed by Ian Sams, a representative of the White House Counsel’s Office, that the events on Wednesday were disgraceful for Republican members of the House.
He stated that they should stop this depressing act and focus on the important matters that the American people want them to tackle.
According to a statement from Kyle Herrig, the executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project, it is long overdue for Mr. Comer to stop the absurd pretense and focus on serving the American people.
The individual stated that labeling this hearing as a circus would be disrespectful to dedicated clowns everywhere. Watching Comer, Jordan, and other Republicans aligned with MAGA repeatedly make fools of themselves without addressing the legitimate concerns of the American people is not amusing. Impeachment is no longer a viable option and it is time to progress forward.
According to Robert Garcia, a member of the Democratic panel, the lengthy meeting was another example in a series of comedic events.
He stated that we are prepared to proceed with the impeachment as there is no proof.
Mr Garcia criticized the GOP’s witnesses for being “fraudulent individuals with unsuccessful businesses and ties to espionage.” He also pointed out that in his opinion, Mr Bobulinski had been untruthful on multiple occasions and couldn’t keep his statements consistent.
“He stated that even members of the Republican party recognize that the current impeachment process is a farce. He believes that our attention should be directed towards other important matters and that our time is being wasted.”
When asked about her thoughts on the proceedings by The Independent, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman from New York, shared a similar opinion.
“She mentioned they have been, currently are, and will continue to be, in disarray.”
Although there was not enough proof provided by the two supporters of Trump who testified for the Republican side, Mr. Comer, the chairman of the panel facing difficulties, stated that he would extend an invitation to President Biden to testify before his committee. This action seems to be a final effort to prolong the year-long investigation, even though no evidence has been found to suggest that Mr. Biden committed any offenses worthy of impeachment.
Mr. Comer stated that it is necessary for the President to speak directly. He reassured the American people that they will have the opportunity to judge the President’s honesty and capability for the position he currently holds. Mr. Comer does not have the power to force the President to attend.
Source: independent.co.uk
