For months, the White House has accused Republicans of wielding Congress\u2019 oversight powers to pursue politically motivated attacks against President Joe Biden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now the White House says that the Republican congressman helming the probe into the Biden family\u2019s finances is making their case for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a new memo obtained first by NBC News, White House spokesperson Ian Sams said MAGA Republicans in the House led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer are \u201cadmitting\u201d that congressional investigations into the Biden family\u2019s finances are an attempt to damage the president politically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“[E]xtreme MAGA House Republicans are being caught doing something they rarely do: telling the truth,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are admitting through their own words and deeds that these so-called \u2018investigations\u2019 are actually intended not to reveal facts but to hurt the President\u2019s political standing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comer\u2019s comments linking the probes to Biden\u2019s poll numbers in a Fox News interview made this explicit, Sams continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked Monday about the impact of his probe on Biden\u2019s political standing heading into 2024, Comer said it had \u201cabsolutely\u201d moved the needle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no question,\u201d he said. \u201cYou look at the polling, and right now Donald Trump is 7 points ahead of Joe Biden and trending upward; Joe Biden\u2019s trending downward. And I believe that the media is looking around, scratching their head, and they\u2019re realizing the American people are keeping up with our investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comer has previously argued that his investigation isn’t politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sams argued that shows the Republican motives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite previously insisting that his investigation \u2018isn\u2019t political\u2019 and that the \u2018only people that see this as a partisan investigation are the media and the hardcore Democrats,\u2019 on Monday morning around 4:00 a.m., Comer took to the Fox airwaves to boast that his investigations are \u2018moving the needle\u2019 not because he has uncovered facts but because he claimed (falsely, by the way) that President Biden\u2019s poll numbers are \u201ctrending downward,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Oversight Committee Republicans led by Comer are investigating foreign payments made to Biden\u2019s family members, including the president\u2019s son Hunter Biden and brother James. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A memo released earlier this month by Comer argues that Biden family activities in Romania \u201cbear clear indications of a scheme to peddle influence from 2015 to 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comer has suggested that Biden may have been improperly influenced by his family\u2019s overseas business ties while serving as vice president. But despite teasing a paper trail for months, the Kentucky Republican has yet to reveal any payments made to Biden directly, before or after leaving the Obama White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sams pointed to reports drawing a parallel between Comer\u2019s comments and a moment eight years ago when Kevin McCarthy linked House Republicans’ Benghazi investigation to Hillary Clinton\u2019s sliding poll numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans quickly backed away from the comments, describing the tie-in as a \u201cdisappointment.\u201d Soon after, McCarthy dropped out of the speakership race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A House Oversight Committee spokesperson defended Comer\u2019s probe into the Biden family, saying it’s up to the White House to provide transparency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo amount of Washington spin can change these facts or erase these bank records,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThe White House must provide the American people with transparency now. The Oversight Committee will continue to pursue the truth and accountability for the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n