Rep. Comer reacts to CBS verifying Hunter Biden laptop 2 years late
Incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky joins 'The Story.'
The Republican lawmaker poised to take the gavel in the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee told Fox News the combination of CBS News finally confirming the veracity of Hunter Biden's laptop, continued White House denials, and alleged FBI "suppression" proves an investigation must commence in January.
Kentucky Congressman James Comer credited CBS News for an albeit two-year-late confirmation of what the New York Post verified in 2020, that the computer Hunter Biden left at a Wilmington repair shop was authentic and unmolested by partisan political actors.
"Kudos to CBS. Better late than never," he said, adding the mainstream outlet's reportage comes as President Joe Biden continues to deny involvement in his son's overseas dealings and continues rebuffing claims he has engaged in influence peddling for self-enrichment.
Former President Donald Trump and other Biden opponents have been critical of CBS News on the issue ever since its flagship newsmagazine "60 Minutes" fervently denied the veracity of the laptop during a contentious 2020 back-and-forth between Trump and Lesley Stahl.
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President Biden waves alongside his son Hunter Biden after attending mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Johns Island, South Carolina, on Aug. 13, 2022. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Comer said the White House has continued to "move the goalposts" in terms of the story – first denying allegations against Hunter were true, then – according to the lawmaker – shifting to claims any content pointing to Joe Biden was not true.
"[They acted like] it was something the Republicans have added as a folder to the original laptop. Now CBS finally comes through after doing a very thorough forensic audit and determines that, no, this is the original laptop and there have been no files added to it other than what Hunter Biden himself put in there. So for me, that's a good thing," Comer said.
"For CBS to come out yesterday and prove that the White House once again lied about the president's involvement with his family's shady business dealings, I think that proves why we need to investigate Joe Biden moving forward."
Comer also credited the defunct repair shop's owner John Paul Mac Isaac with acting in an "ethically" upstanding way and reporting the contents of the laptop to the proper federal authorities.
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Photo illustration of President Biden and his son Hunter Biden. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images | Photo by Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images)
Former New York City Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was also a recipient of a copy of the laptop's hard drive – which he helped provide to the Post.
Comer said it is not Mac Isaac's fault the FBI has appeared loathe to seriously investigate the younger Biden, saying the bureau's "fail[ure]" to probe and "ability to suppress" is another reason the committee he is primed to lead should probe the Bidens.
Former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski invoked that sentiment toward the bureau in a recent Fox News interview:
Bobulinski said the FBI has not contacted him since the 2020 election, and that the last time he was in contact with the Biden family was when the president's brother James Biden's phone number rang him during an FBI interview.
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Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., will be the chairman of the House Oversight Committee in the new GOP majority. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
At a press conference earlier this week, Comer made clear he wants to focus on President Biden more than Hunter, as critics have long derided the First Son's detractors given he is a private citizen.
"I want to be clear: this is an investigation of Joe Biden, and that's where our focus will be next Congress."
In a statement cited by "The Story", Christopher Clark – an attorney for Hunter Biden – said there "had been multiple attempts to hack, infect, distort and peddle misinformation regarding Mr. Biden's devices and data."
Clark claimed there are efforts to use the "distorted data to spread misinformation," adding Hunter never consented to having his computer data accessed and shared.
Hunter Biden has been subject to a federal investigation overseen by U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss – the only Trump prosecutor held over by Joe Biden – in Wilmington.
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