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MaddowBlog

From The Rachel Maddow Show

James Comer speaks to reporters at the Capitol.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., with reporters at the Capitol last month.Drew Angerer / Getty Imagesfile

Why James Comer is eyeing AG Garland’s possible impeachment

As if the House GOP's impeachment list weren't already long enough, Rep. James Comer signaled new support for impeaching Attorney General Merrick Garland.

By Steve Benen

As this week got underway, House Republicans announced plans to advance their impeachment crusade against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A day later, another House Republican announced new efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Around the same time, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer made another appearance on a conservative media outlet, where he seemed amenable to the idea of impeaching Attorney General Merrick Garland.

At issue is an odd dispute with Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son. Comer and his GOP colleagues subpoenaed the younger Biden, and he agreed to testify — but only if the Q&A were held publicly, for all the world to see. Republicans responded that they would only ask questions in private, behind closed doors.

On the day of the deposition, Hunter Biden insisted on transparency; GOP committee chairs insisted on secrecy; and so there were no exchanges between members and the witness. As a result of the impasse, House Republicans are moving forward with plans to hold the president’s son in contempt of Congress — which is a crime — at which point the matter would be referred to the Justice Department.

It was against this backdrop that a Newsmax host asked Comer whether it would be grounds for impeaching the attorney general if federal prosecutors choose not to charge Hunter Biden.

“I think so,” the congressman replied.

Keep in mind, over the course of 2023, several GOP lawmakers, including then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, raised the prospect of impeaching the nation’s chief law enforcement official. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia introduced a pending impeachment resolution against Garland last May, as did Rep. Scott Perry, who also unveiled a similar resolution.

Evidently, Comer is open to the same idea.

All of this, of course, also coincides with the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry targeting the incumbent president, which advanced last month with the unanimous support of the GOP conference. In addition to Biden, Mayorkas, Austin, and Garland, the House Republicans’ impeachment list also includes Vice President Kamala Harris, several other Cabinet secretaries, the director of the FBI, and a federal prosecutor some conservatives don’t like.

It’s likely to be a weird year.

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."