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MaddowBlog

From The Rachel Maddow Show

James Comer at the U.S. Capitol
James Comer at the U.S. Capitol, on Dec. 13, 2023. Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Why James Comer’s latest cringeworthy hearing actually mattered

James Comer's contempt hearing targeting Hunter Biden was a circus, but it told us a lot about the GOP abandoning the pretense of having principles.

By Steve Benen

Periodically, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer will insist that the anti-Biden crusade he’s helping lead is a “serious” endeavor. The frequency with which we’re confronted with evidence to the contrary is amazing. My colleague Clarissa-Jan Lim highlighted the latest in a series of Comer-led messes.

Well, that was a mess. The House Oversight Committee’s hearing to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress quickly devolved into chaos, with lawmakers shouting over each other, Rep. Nancy Mace grandstanding, and Biden, apparently having had enough, abruptly walking out of the room.

The underlying circumstances were inherently bizarre: Hunter Biden was literally in the room, volunteering to answer members’ questions, while GOP members complained about his reluctance to show up and answer members’ questions. It was against this backdrop that the latest Republican circus unraveled into an embarrassing mess — complete with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina referencing the president’s son’s testicles and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia needlessly promoting provocative photographs for no apparent reason.

But the hearing was not without relevant lessons. Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida offered to make a deal with his GOP colleagues: He’d vote with them to hold Biden in contempt for failing to cooperate with a committee subpoena if they also agreed to apply the same standards to congressional Republicans who, just last year, also failed to cooperate with a committee subpoena.

“You can get my vote,” Moskowitz said, “but I want you to show the American people that you’re serious. ... Show that you’re serious and that everyone is not above the law.”

They refused.

At the same hearing, the Democratic congressman asked House Republicans — who presumably have questions for Hunter Biden, since they had subpoenaed him — whether they were prepared to end the hearing and immediately hear testimony from the president’s son. They balked at that opportunity, too.

To be sure, none of this was especially surprising. But in case anyone had doubts about whether GOP members were taking principled stands related to subpoenas and cooperation with an official congressional inquiry, those questions were answered in unsubtle ways in this ridiculous contempt hearing.

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."