In a recent press conference, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) joined those blasting House Republicans over the latest developments in their impeachment inquiry targeting President Joe Biden, amid which House investigators recently conducted a deposition of the president’s son Hunter Biden.
Republicans are pushing forward with the investigation despite the indictment from federal authorities of an ex-federal source responsible for allegations of bribery implicating the Bidens that helped spur the probe. Defendant Alexander Smirnov was accused of lying to federal authorities and has been linked in reports to Russian intelligence circles, leading to accusations of the impeachment charade essentially just advancing the interests of Russia’s leadership.
“Public reports are that this star witness met with Russian intelligence,” Lieu said. “So, what we have here are Republican Members who have been trying to take out an American president through impeachment using Russian disinformation. Not only should these impeachment proceedings stop, but the Republicans that were spreading this Russian disinformation should apologize to the American people. They’re essentially using Russian disinformation to try to impeach an American president. This is anti-American, traitorous conduct.”
Lieu is the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and he also serves on the House Judiciary Committee — which has helped lead Republicans’ impeachment probe targeting the current president.
The panel was involved in the recent deposition of the president’s son, during which Hunter was consistent in saying that his father was not involved in his business activities. The now imploded bribery allegations originating with Smirnov posited such a link via millions of dollars in bribes allegedly tracing to leadership at the Ukrainian company Burisma and going to both Hunter and the now president. Republicans have even looked into Hunter’s current work in contemporary art, but he covered that area in his testimony as well, and it seems Republicans have found nothing linking the president to Hunter’s art sales.
