During the Q&A portion of Tuesday’s House Freedom Caucus press conference, Washington correspondent Siobhan Kennedy of the U.K.’s Channel 4 thought she would trap Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) and Congressman Dan Bishop (R-NC) by insisting there’s been no “actual evidence” of Biden family corruption to merit the impeachment inquiry launched hours earlier by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Unfortunately, for her, Perry and Bishop roasted her.
Kennedy was the last questioner and she certainly made waves:
Congressman, what actual evidence do you have as opposed to allegations to show to the American public that would merit an actual impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden and prove that today isn’t just about some of you bu — [INAUDIBLE] Speaker McCarthy for the sake of enacting political revenge for the impeachments of Donald Trump?
Perry interjected during her question to insist “this isn’t about political revenge.” Once she finished, the Pennsylvania congressman unloaded, starting with the fact that the House has documents on the Biden family’s “bank accounts” and, based on their wealth, “you can see that the homes that the Bidens own can’t be afforded on a congressional or a Senate salary.”
Perry unfurled a few more of the facts:
You also understand that it’s not normal for family members to receive millions of dollars from overseas interests. Those things aren’t normal. That’s not normal to have 20 shell companies. These things are not normal and it alludes to not only just widespread corruption, but money laundering, if not influence peddling itself.
After mentioning the infamous soundbite of Biden gloating about getting the Ukrainian prosecutor general fired while he was vice president, Perry lambasted her blind partisanship before stopping himself and turning things over to Bishop and Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA): “If you can’t see that, if you’re that blind — look, I’ll turn it over to the attorneys in this.”
Ignored the facts and a CNN poll showing more than half the country believes Joe Biden knew about Hunter’s business dealings, Kennedy fired back: “But the American people can’t see that. They think it’s political revenge.”
Perry snapped back with a fact that’s been borne out in numerous NewsBusters studies (such as this one and this one): “It’s because you don’t report on it!”
Kennedy argued she’s “been her reporting on it today,” but Bishop wasn’t having it. First, he observed that he wasn’t “sure how you know what the American people think.”
Next, he argued any serious prosecutor should be looking into “an indictment for a FARA violation against Hunter Biden” and “a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation, given the circumstances that we know.”
“[T]here’s not been a single subpoena to a Hunter Biden bank account. Or a Joe Biden bank account. Or any other Biden family member’s bank account,” he added, provided that caveat that House subpoenas of Biden family financials might “be stretching jurisdiction to do that.”
Bishop then closed with a mic drop (click “expand”):
BISHOP: But there’s ample predication at this point in time based on that very unusual set of circumstances which is for no apparent payment for expertise or services rendered, Biden family members writ large received over $20 million.
PERRY: That we know of.
CLYDE: That we know of.
BISHOP: It is very simple for someone to insist there’s an absence of evidence but you can look in the face of that and contend that, that’s — you know, anyone has a right to their opinion. What they can’t do is change the facts.
To see the relevant transcript from the September 12 presser, click “expand.”
House Freedom Caucus press conference
September 12, 2023
3:46 p.m. EasternSIOBHAN KENNEDY [U.K.’s Channel 4]: Congressman, what actual evidence do you have as opposed to allegations to show to the American public that would merit an actual impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden and prove that today isn’t just about some of you bu — [INAUDIBLE]
CONGRESSMAN SCOTT PERRY (R-PA): Oh, I don’t —
KENNEDY: — Speaker McCarthy for the sake of enacting political revenge —
PERRY: — this — this isn’t about political revenge.
KENNEDY: — for the impeachments of Donald Trump?
PERRY: We have the bank accounts. We can see — ma’am, you can see that the homes that the Bidens own can’t be afforded on a congressional or a Senate salary. You also understand that it’s not normal for family members to receive millions of dollars from overseas interests. Those things aren’t normal. That’s not normal to have 20 shell companies. These things are not normal and it alludes to not only just widespread corruption, but money laundering, if not influence peddling itself. And we also have the President — the Vice President at the time — on record saying that the prosecutor was fired. “Well, son of a pitch, the prosecutor was fired.” Right? Because the prosecutor was going after the company that his son was working on. That’s what we have. If you can’t see that, if you’re that blind — look, I’ll turn it over to the attorneys in this.
KENNEDY: But the American people can’t see that. They think it’s political revenge.
PERRY: It’s because you don’t report on it!
CONGRESSMAN DAN BISHOP (R-NC): No — no — no. You’re not — I don’t think —
KENNEDY: We’ve been here reporting on it today, in fact.
BISHOP: — I’m not sure how you know what the American people think, but here’s what they might wonder. Actually, if you’re a federal prosecutor, you would be asking yourself, how can there not have been an indictment for a FARA violation against Hunter Biden? How can there possibly — my understanding and, Congress — in discussions with staff, have confirmed my impulse that this would be very much the basis of a foreign — of a — a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation, given the circumstances that we know. The question is, you know, it’s funny. After we come out of the events of, for ex — for John Durham, for example, testified to our committees about how investigations preceded through our investigative agencies without proper predication. It’s not that you have to prove the case, it’s not that — you understand to this point there’s not been a single subpoena to a Hunter Biden bank account. Or a Joe Biden bank account. Or any other Biden family member’s bank account because I’m telling you —
KENNEDY: [INAUDIBLE]
BISHOP: — until an impeachment inquiry commences, that’s not a jurisdictional possibility. Well, it would be stretching jurisdiction to do that. But there’s ample predication at this point in time based on that very unusual set of circumstances which is for no apparent payment for expertise or services rendered, Biden family members writ large received over $20 million.
PERRY: That we know of.
CONGRESSMAN ANDREW CLYDE (R-GA): That we know of.
BISHOP: It is very simple for someone to insist there’s an absence of evidence but you can look in the face of that and contend that, that’s — you know, anyone has a right to their opinion. What they can’t do is change the facts.
CLYDE: And I invite you to go to the website, clyde.house.gov/bidencrimefamily and you’ll see all the evidence from the Oversight Committee. You’ll see all the evidence. And if you’re willing to read it, I think you’ll be convinced.
