Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called on Republicans to specify the crime they are accusing President Biden of as they move forward with their impeachment inquiry.
In a recent development, Ocasio-Cortez highlighted the arrest of a former FBI informant who was found guilty of deceiving the agency. This informant had falsely claimed that Biden, during his tenure as vice president, had accepted a bribe to advance the interests of a Ukrainian energy company where his son was associated with.
“Why is this impeachment inquiry proceeding despite the fact that its basis is wrong?” she questioned. According to her, Republicans have no charges to support the ongoing proceedings.
During the chairman’s opening, there hasn’t been a specific allegation made against the President of the United States. Instead, the focus has been on the “Biden family” and other related matters. This lack of a clear and specific allegation is a significant issue that needs to be addressed by the committee.
“That’s the story: the committee discovered they were working with falsified evidence.”
Wednesday’s hearing coincides with a growing number of Republicans who are voicing their skepticism towards the probe and questioning its potential to trigger a formal impeachment trial.
Two witnesses with little connection to Hunter Biden’s business dealings were invited by Republicans on Wednesday.
Tony Bobulinski had a brief collaboration with Hunter Biden, but their joint venture ultimately did not materialize. Subsequently, he formed connections with allies of former President Trump and even received an invitation to attend a presidential debate. Presently, he has enlisted the legal services of an attorney who has previously represented several Trump White House aides before the Jan. 6 committee.
Jason Galanis, currently in prison on fraud charges, claims to have worked with Hunter Biden. However, Hunter Biden disputes this claim, stating that he only briefly met Galanis a few years ago.
During a heated exchange with Ocasio-Cortez, Bobulinski made a startling claim, stating that he had personally witnessed President Biden engaging in criminal activities. Specifically, he cited corruption statutes, RICO, conspiracy, and FARA, referring to laws related to racketeering, registering as a foreign agent, and corruption.
Bobulinski’s claim of witnessing a crime is unclear, as it is not specified what activity he would have observed that qualifies as a criminal offense. Additionally, he has previously stated that his interactions with President Biden were limited shortly after Biden’s departure from office.
In response, he mentioned that the lawmaker clearly lacked familiarity with RICO.
“RICO is not something that should be considered a crime; it is simply a category. The real question is, what specific crime is being committed?” Ocasio-Cortez responded.
Bobulinski expressed frustration with the requirement to reference a specific statute, pointing out that there are several legal experts on the committee.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law is a federal legislation that focuses on combating organized criminal activity. It serves as a powerful tool to address various types of crimes.
Several states, including Georgia, have their own racketeering laws in addition to the federal law. In fact, officials in Georgia utilized this statute to charge former President Trump and other co-defendants in relation to the events of January 6th.
