https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/james-comer-like-joe-biden-also-paid-his-brother-200k/ar-AA1jDSqJ?ocid

The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast

James Comer, Like Joe Biden, Also Paid His Brother $200K

Story by Roger Sollenberger •

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House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-KY) on Wednesday subpoenaed President Joe Biden’s brother, James Biden, who Comer has implicated in unsubstantiated allegations of “shady business practices” in the Biden family.

Comer has in particular been trying to make hay out of two personal loan repayments from James Biden to his brother, for $40,000 and $200,000—with all transactions occurring in 2017 and 2018, when Joe Biden was neither in office nor a candidate.

But if Comer genuinely believes these transactions clear the “shady business practices” bar, he might want to consider a parallel inquiry into his own family.

According to Kentucky property records, Comer and his own brother have engaged in land swaps related to their family farming business. In one deal—also involving $200,000, as well as a shell company—the more powerful and influential Comer channeled extra money to his brother, seemingly from nothing. Other recent land swaps were quickly followed with new applications for special tax breaks, state records show. All of this, perplexingly, related to the dealings of a family company that appears to have never existed on paper.

But unlike with the Bidens, Comer’s own history actually borders a conflict of interest between his official government role and his private family business—and it’s been going on for decades.

While Comer and House GOP allies have tried to cast the Biden transactions as evidence of unsavory and possibly impeachable offenses, multiple news organizations—including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, FactCheck.org, and the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner—have all thrown cold water on the notion that the payments are evidence of anything other than a brother helping a brother.

That hasn’t stopped Comer. But hypocrisy hasn’t stopped Comer before, either.

Earlier this year, The Daily Beast reported that Comer’s probe into the “weaponization” of government resources resounded with echoes of Comer’s own investigation-meddling scandal. The Daily Beast also reported that Comer’s first blockbuster oversight hearing this year—into abuse of the COVID loan program—also happened to invoke Comer, as well as his brother.