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National News
Laughter erupts as James Comer blanks in House hearing: ‘I wasn’t paying attention’
A hearing room for the House Oversight Committee erupted into laughter Wednesday after the committee chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), blanked on a question asked by a Democratic committee member.
Wednesday’s hearing saw the committee fiercely debate whether to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena to testify about their connections to Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Challenging the measure was Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), who pressed Comer on whether the committee had already been informed that the Clintons were willing to testify on the record.
“It's my understanding that you guys have received correspondence by phone, email and a written letter from the attorneys from the Clintons offering to [testify] on the record, with you, with the staff... is that correct?” Stansbury asked.
“I didn't... I wasn't paying attention to your question,” Comer admitted, sparking an eruption of laughter in the room, including from Stansbury, who moved to ask her question again, albeit more slowly.
“Okay – we're pursuant to a motion you brought for contempt, and the claim is that you have made reasonable accommodations and that [the Clintons] have not been responsive,” Stansbury repeated.
“But they have transmitted correspondence to all of the members of the committee – including yourself – including a letter from their attorneys stating that they have offered by phone, by email to meet with you, on the record, to give sworn statements. Is that correct?”
Comer’s first reaction was to speak of how the Clintons had been given “five months” to appear before Congress before being pressed by Stansbury again: “yes or no,” she asked.
“You all are trying to create a false narrative!” Comer fired back. “You've had five months, you should have gotten to the Clintons before the contempt vote!”
Stansbury asked once more for Comer to answer her question, but was met with silence as Comer’s aides could be seen speaking with him quietly.
“Just to be clear for the public, his staff are advising the chairman to not answer that question,” Stansbury alleged.
Comer fired back at Stansbury once more.
“No, the staff said they couldn't understand what the hell you were saying because you blabbered for three minutes!” Comer said.
The Clintons have, in fact, refused to testify before Congress, and despite having been issued congressional subpoenas. Both have challenged Comer’s authority to demand they testify, and have accused the lawmaker’s request of being politically motivated.
National News
‘Hoax!’ Trump responds to Jack Smith hearing with unhinged rant from Stephen Miller
President Donald Trump responded to former special counsel Jack Smith's first public testimony by sharing a video of aide Stephen Miller shouting about "the Russiagate hoax."
As cable news stations fixated on Smith, Trump responded with a post on Truth Social.
"Comey, Clapper, Brennan, Obama, Monaco, all conspired together, all worked together to try to sabotage, undermine, unravel the democratic institutions and structures of this country," Miller rants in the video posted by Trump. "The Russiagate hoax, the Russia gate conspiracy and all of the assaults against our liberties that went with it."
"The pre-dawn raids, the handcuffing of innocent Americans," he continues. "The removal of his national security advisor, One fake indictment, one fake charge after another, the special counsel, all of it, was a unrelenting attempt to overthrow the government the American people voted for."
"I cannot find words harsh enough to condemn the conduct of these conspirators, these insurrectionists."
For his part, Smith insisted Trump "willfully broke the law."
"Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power," the former prosecutor noted. "After leaving office in January of 21, President Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago Social Club and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents. Highly sensitive national security information was held in a ballroom and a bathroom."
