WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continue to face growing legal and political peril.
Republicans launched their impeachment inquiry into Biden Thursday, digging into corruption allegations. However, several GOP witnesses admitted there is no direct evidence yet against the president.
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is convinced he has a strong case showing that the Biden family took money in exchange for access to then-Vice President Biden.
“The door was wide open to those who purchased what a business associate described as the Biden brand. Evidence reveals that then-Vice President Joe Biden spoke, dined and developed relationships with his family’s foreign business targets,” Comer said.
However, no specific evidence has been presented yet showing any wrongdoing by the former vice president.
During the hearing, Comer cited texts, emails and bank records involving Hunter Biden and said that showed the need for an impeachment inquiry.
Democrats have called this effort a political stunt, accusing Republicans of trying to distract from the possible government shutdown.
“The committee has received 12,000 pages of bank records. Here they are, right in front of us. Printed double-sided and not a single page shows a dime going to President Joe Biden,” Rep. Jaime Rashin, D-Md., said.
The White House has followed suit, standing behind Biden amid these claims.
“House Republicans wasted hours peddling debunked lies, even as their own witnesses admitted there is no evidence that merits this baseless stunt. This flop was a failed effort to distract from their own chaos and inability to govern that is careening the country towards an unnecessary government shutdown that will hurt American families,” the White House team wrote in a statement.
Even some of the GOP’s star witnesses have come forward saying there isn’t enough evidence here for an impeachment right now.
Democrats and the White House team believe the focus should instead be on avoiding a government shutdown.
Moving forward, Comer said he wants to subpoena bank records from Hunter Biden, the president and the Biden family’s business.
Meanwhile, Trump’s business empire is in jeopardy with a New York civil fraud trial now cleared to begin Monday. This came after a Supreme Court judge ruled the GOP frontrunner and other Trump organization executives are liable for manipulating asset valuations.
The case comes from a lawsuit filed by New York state Attorney General Letitia James.
The trial will revolve around claims that Trump falsified business records and greatly inflated the value of his assets and net worth while filling out yearly financial forms dating back to when he was a real estate mogul.
The state attorney general claims Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $3.6 billion. Now, she’s seeking a quarter of a billion dollars in damages.
A New York judge has already ruled this week that Trump is liable for fraud, and this cannot be disputed during the trial — which is merely to determine the extent of the penalties Trump faces.