‘They met people in Walmart’

GOP Rep. James Comer was bullish Sunday about the prospect of formally authorizing the impeachment probe against President Biden, surmising formerly squeamish moderate Republicans have gotten on board after meeting their constituents “in Walmart” over Thanksgiving.

Comer, who is chairing the impeachment probe, mused that “15 or 20 moderates” within his caucus had been stonewalling efforts to make the inquiry official due to fear of the media.

“A great thing happened during Thanksgiving. The members went home…and they met people in Walmart and people on Main Street,” Comer told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“They heard from their constituents, ‘yes, we want you to move forward,’” he added. “So we are unified at a time when I think it’s no secret our conference is broken in a lot of ways.”

White House spokesman Ian Sams quickly mocked the Kentucky Republican in response.

“Jamie Comer: ‘Burisma, it’s the talk of Walmarts nationwide!!!,’” Sams wrote with a laughing emoji on X.

In September, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) initiated the impeachment inquiry, a fact-finding operation distinct from a formal impeachment.

Historically, impeachment inquiries require a formal House vote to initiate.

Back in 2019, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) opened the first impeachment inquiry into former President Donald Trump without a floor vote.

That probe was opened on Sept. 24, 2019, with Democrats formally authorizing it on Oct. 31, 2019.

Comer is not alone in his belief that House Republicans will formalize the inquiry.

“I believe we will,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Fox News on Saturday when asked about authorizing the probe.

“I suspect no Democrats will assist in this effort, but they should.”

The White House has accused House Republicans of mounting an “unconstitutional” probe due to the lack of formal authorization.

Republicans have fired off subpoenas against multiple key players in the inquiry such as first son Hunter Biden and the president’s brother James Biden.

The lack of a formal authorization could give those witnesses potential legal ammunition against the subpoenas.

Last Tuesday, Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell appeared to taunt Republicans on the impeachment panel with an offer to testify publicly on Dec. 13, instead of privately.

Republicans balked.

“Five minutes for each lawmaker and we have already seen the Democrats don’t have the disposition to be able to conduct themselves appropriately. They scream and yell,” Comer explained.

Comer, who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, one of the three panels running in the impeachment inquiry, blasted the Democrats for mounting a defense campaign in support of the president.

“They have tried to mislead the American people with disinformation about everything in this investigation from day one, from the laptop being Russian disinformation, to where these bank records have somehow been manipulated by Rudy Giuliani,” he said.

“It’s laughable what the Democrats are doing in their never-ending pursuit of being the criminal defense attorney for the Biden family.”

Biden’s defenders have accused Republicans of mounting a partisan crusade against him and sought to distance the president from his family’s business dealings.