A House hearing regarding the potential impeachment of President Joe Biden descended into chaos on Wednesday as Republican chairman James Comer and Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin engaged in heated exchanges, each accusing the other of needing therapy.
The hearing was part of the ongoing Republican inquiry into Biden, which alleges “corruption” based on family business dealings with foreign powers and unsubstantiated claims of bribery related to Biden’s tenure as vice president in Ukraine.
Despite the lack of evidence of wrongdoing by the president, Mr. Raskin emphasized this point multiple times during the hearing. The tension peaked when Mr. Comer questioned whether it was “okay” for China to bribe the Biden family with $9 million.
“But that’s the lie that’s been discredited. Where is your impeachment investigation? If Joe Biden took a $9 million bribe from China, why aren’t you impeaching him for that?” Mr. Raskin responded.
“Who says we’re not?” Mr. Comer shot back.
Their exchanges continued, with Mr. Comer accusing Mr. Raskin and Democrats of having “an obsession with Russia and Trump,” and stating, “It’s disturbing… You need therapy, you all need therapy.”
Mr. Raskin retorted, “You need therapy. You’re the one who’s involved with the deranged politician, not me. I divorced myself from Donald Trump a long time ago, you’re the one who needs to disentangle.”
The disagreements devolved further when Mr. Comer referred to his opponent as “Mr. Raskins,” prompting Mr. Raskin to correct him, saying, “My last name is Raskin. We sat next to each other for more than a year. You don’t have to add the ‘s’.”
Mr. Raskin continued to press for specifics on the alleged crimes that would justify impeaching Biden, while Mr. Comer defended the inquiry’s legitimacy. The clashes underscored deep partisan divisions over the investigation into Biden.
The hearing turmoil followed President Biden’s refusal to appear before investigators, as conveyed in a letter from his attorney Richard Sauber, who asserted that the investigation “is over” and accused the GOP of persisting with “false and unsupported allegations” despite evidence to the contrary.
The House inquiry, which has consumed significant resources, has yet to produce evidence supporting the allegations against President Biden, adding fuel to the ongoing political friction between Republicans and Democrats.