Democrats criticize Republicans for a “gullible” attempt to impeach Biden based on a new whistleblower

House Democrats are demanding access to information from a supposed whistleblower after top Republican lawmakers accused the CIA of blocking investigations into Hunter Biden, marking the latest development in the GOP’s monthslong impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

In a letter sent to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) on Friday, his Democratic counterpart Jamie Raskin (D-MD) demanded that Republicans make the information available to committee Democrats, claiming his requests so far have gone unanswered. The request comes two weeks after Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote a letter citing claims from a whistleblower that the CIA has repeatedly prevented witness interviews in a criminal investigation against the president’s son.

“This is a serious charge, but you have completely ignored my staff’s requests to be allowed to review the information that you say prompted your letter and upon which your letter is putatively and entirely based,” wrote Raskin, ranking member of the Oversight Committee. “This refusal to share Committee material with the Minority creates the unavoidable implication that this information — like so many self-collapsing precursor tips in this Sisyphean quest for a scandal — cannot withstand even the most cursory scrutiny by the Committee’s Democratic Members.”

Raskin compared the latest whistleblower claims with previous allegations that House Republicans have chased as part of their inquiry, including accusations from Alexander Smirnov, who was later indicted over making a false statement to federal authorities and creating a false and fictitious record.

Raskin specifically cited Smirnov’s claims in his letter, calling the previous FBI informant “an individual replete with extensive ties to Russian intelligence agencies.” The Maryland Democrat then warned Comer not to move forward with the information without including Democrats to vet the claims.

“All of this information must be shared with the full Committee so that we can review it, understand whether you took any steps to vet it, and assess whether you are — once again, wittingly or not — making our Committee a party to efforts by malign foreign interests to influence American elections,” Raskin wrote.

Raskin’s request came after Comer and Jordan sent a letter to CIA Director William Burns on March 21 with claims the CIA sought to block special counsel David Weiss from interviewing Hunter Biden’s attorney, Kevin Morris. However, Raskin noted those claims contradict testimony from IRS special agent Gary Shapley, who told the committee he was able to interview Morris.

Raskin also pointed to testimony from Morris himself telling the committee he cooperated with the investigation by speaking with agents and providing relevant documents.

“Your March 21 letter looks like yet another episode in the Committee’s gullible campaign to amplify the vacuous claims of shadowy Trump World figures and foreign disinformation and propaganda operators,” Raskin wrote. “Your decision to direct your request to the Director of the CIA heightens my concerns about the national security implications of the Committee’s complicity with the anti-Biden ‘Russian hoax’ that has been the driving narrative of your investigation.”

Raskin is demanding access to all information provided to Republicans that led to the CIA request. It’s not clear whether Comer will comply with that request, and a spokesperson for the committee has not responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.

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Republicans’ impeachment inquiry is looking into three main things, all of which relate to Hunter Biden: whether Joe Biden improperly used his position of power to enrich himself and his family, whether he used his influence to pressure the Department of Justice to help his son avoid criminal charges, and how involved he was in his family’s foreign business dealings.

The House Oversight and Judiciary committees have failed to uncover definitive evidence tying Joe Biden to criminal activity or any misconduct that constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor. Instead, Democrats and their staffers have accused Republicans of wasting money and resources on an investigation they say is politically motivated.