Final week, one of many Republican congressman who has been spearheading the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden floated a brand new path ahead for his embattled probe: issuing “felony referrals,” recommending prosecution, to the Division of Justice.
“On the finish of the day, what does accountability seem like? It appears to be like like felony referrals. It appears to be like like referring folks to the Division of Justice,” Home Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, who’s amongst these main the impeachment inquiry, stated in an interview on Fox Information.
The notion of issuing felony referrals as a part of the probe has gained traction amongst senior Republicans on Capitol Hill because the prospects of impeaching President Biden have dulled, a number of sources informed ABC Information, with one congressional Republican bluntly describing the transfer as an “exit technique.”
MORE: Raskin says FBI informant revelations ‘destroy’ Biden impeachment case; GOP downplays impact
Any such referrals would fall in need of the committee’s preliminary objectives of impeaching President Biden, because the Justice Division is just not obligated to behave on such referrals and even acknowledge them.
However the plan may give former President Donald Trump a long-shot roadmap for his personal administration to research his predecessor, ought to he win again the White Home in November.
As Comer works to assist navigate the way forward for the impeachment inquiry, sources inform ABC Information that Trump and Comer had a gathering in Florida final month, although it was not instantly clear what was mentioned.
The transient February assembly, which has not beforehand been reported, occurred at one in every of Trump’s properties in Florida, the sources stated.
A spokesperson for Comer informed ABC Information, “Whereas having lunch with Vernon Hill in Florida, Congressman Comer unexpectedly bumped into President Trump they usually had a short 10-minute dialog.” The spokesperson didn’t touch upon the substance of the dialog, or on who else might have been current.
A spokesperson for Trump declined to remark to ABC Information.
Within the interview on Fox Information final week, Comer stated he was “very ready” to carry felony referrals and immediately referenced the opportunity of the “subsequent president” choosing them up.
“If Merrick Garland’s Division of Justice will not take any potential felony referrals critically, then possibly the subsequent president, with a brand new Legal professional Normal, will,” Comer stated.
It isn’t instantly clear who may be referred for prosecution. When requested lately by Punchbowl if these referrals would come with Biden himself, Comer stated Monday, “We’ll see.”
The highest Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, bashed the technique, saying that Comer’s inquiry hadn’t uncovered any proof to assist such referrals.
MORE: Comer invites Hunter Biden to return to Capitol Hill for public hearing
“Prison referrals typically relate to crimes, and we’ve not recognized any apart from those dedicated by their star witnesses,” Raskin informed PunchBowl.
Raskin seemed to be referring to Alexander Smirnov, the previous FBI supply who was indicted last month by particular counsel David Weiss on felony false assertion and obstruction costs after he allegedly supplied false details about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. He pleaded not responsible to the costs.
Smirnov is similar person who Republicans have known as “a extremely credible FBI supply” and have used to say that Joe Biden is corrupt, in accordance with a number of senior congressional sources, marking the newest setback for the inquiry.
Comer defended the probe within the wake of the costs, saying a press release that, “to be clear, the impeachment inquiry is just not reliant on the FBI’s FD-1023,” referring to the shape that included Smirnov’s allegation.
Nonetheless, a rising variety of Home Republicans are starting to acknowledge each publicly and privately that their yearlong investigation into Joe Biden and his household is unlikely to end result within the president’s impeachment, sources stated.
Even staunch conservatives similar to Reps. Scott Perry, Troy Nehls and Patrick McHenry have acknowledged that Republicans lack the votes to again impeachment.
“I do not assume we’re going to get to some extent fairly actually the place we’re going to have the ability to impeach him, particularly with the skinny margin that now we have,” Perry stated lately on the Conservative Political Motion Convention.
In a press release, a spokesperson for the Oversight Committee stated, “The impeachment inquiry is ongoing and the result has not been pre-determined. The committees will situation a last report with suggestions on the conclusion of the inquiry.”
Different committees concerned within the effort embody the Judiciary Committee and the Methods and Means committtee.
A number of sources aware of the sentiment on Capitol Hill informed ABC Information that the probe is actually “falling aside” and is at a “standstill,” with solely a slim majority supporting the hassle. One supply stated that whereas many Republicans really feel it efficiently drummed up some allegations, the core claims on the coronary heart of the probe remained complicated.
“It uncovered a number of smoke, however there was by no means a message,” the supply stated. “The bar was set too excessive.”
One other supply stated the probe has been suffering from Republicans at instances mischaracterizing and inflating the proof they’ve gathered. Republicans have additionally squabbled behind closed doorways concerning over which witnesses to name, sources stated.
Criminal referrals emerge as possible ‘exit strategy’ of struggling Biden impeachment inquiry, sources say initially appeared on abcnews.go.com