With the 2020 election just three months away and the prospects of losing their thin majority, Senate Republicans are preparing to ramp up their Obama-era investigations and drag former Vice President Joe Biden back to their controversial Burisma probe.
As noted by The Hill, the move has sparked new tensions with Senate Democrats who view the efforts as an attempt to meddle in the 2020 election, where Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee.
But with the Senate coming back to Washington on Monday, and the number of legislative days quickly dwindling, Republicans are preparing to step up their efforts.
“In July we will be having some public hearings. …There’s a lot to be done between now and September,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said during a social media Q&A, according to The Hill.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), told The Hill that he wants to release an interim report on an investigation linked to Hunter Biden by the time the Senate leaves for a four-week break by August 7. His staff is already drafting parts of the report.
“We’ve got a very detailed timeline. …I’ve told staff I certainly want to get something out before the August recess, as incomplete as it is,” Johnson told The Hill. “At some point in time we’ve got [to say] ‘okay, here’s what we’ve got. Here’s the remaining questions that need to be answered’”
The two chairman, as well as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are months into wide-ranging investigations that touch on some of the biggest grievances of President Trump and conservative allies including the origins of the Russia investigation, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance, or FISA Court, and Hunter Biden.
There’s no evidence that either of the Bidens engaged in criminal wrongdoing. There was also widespread concern at the time — both internationally and from a bipartisan coalition in Congress, including Johnson — about corruption within Shokin’s office.
The Republican effort comes as Donald Trump renewed criticism this week of Hunter Biden during a lengthy diatribe from the Rose Garden against the former vice president, who has become a growing focus for Trump as he battles a steady stream of negative poll numbers and criticism for his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“But Hunter – where’s Hunter? Where is Hunter, by the way? …Didn’t have a job and all of a sudden he’s making a fortune. But nobody talks about that,” Trump said.
Asked about Johnson’s plans, Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden, referenced a statement from May, questioning why the GOP senator was conducting the investigation in the middle of a global health pandemic.
“Running a political errand for Donald Trump by wasting Homeland Security Committee time and resources attempting to resurrect a craven, previously-debunked smear against Vice President Biden. … Johnson should be working overtime to save American lives – but instead, he’s just trying to save the President’s job,” Bates said.
