The circus came to Washington on Wednesday—and I mean a full-blown three-ring spectacle with action in every direction, plus a host of sideshows for the fun and flavor.
Under the big top, House Republicans were waiting for Hunter Biden to jump through the ring of fire—better known as taking a deposition under oath and behind closed doors. It was behind closed doors to avoid that, well, circus-like atmosphere you get when all the cameras are in there, and everyone is expected to perform and awe the crowd like a high-wire act.
Well, Joe’s embattled son Hunter did a high-wire act alright and defied the GOP subpoenas, daring them to do anything about it. Then he turned the spotlight on himself, and he became a juggler trying to keep all of his stories straight. This is going to be a tough act to continue, with 11 indictments now in play and more likely still coming. The latest relates to a “scheme,” as special prosecutor David Weiss termed it, to pay for an extravagant lifestyle, including prostitutes, illegal drugs, liquor, fancy hotels, and opulent homes. This scheme paid everything except the $1.4 million he owed the IRS.
The charges carry penalties that could include up to 17 years in prison—of course, no one expects that to happen.
However, Hunter snubbed the House Republicans after Democrats pursued Trump’s advisors, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, for ignoring Congressional subpoenas and convicted them. Bannon is now facing prison time—but it seems you cannot have it both ways. Hunter is trying to be an acrobat, flying high above the law and flaunting it in front of the crowd.
And the real performance here is not keeping Hunter out of the tiger’s jaws but keeping his father from getting bitten by the accusations that led to last night’s House vote for an impeachment inquiry.
As the carousel goes round and round in Washington, the stakes are getting higher than Hunter on a weekend bender.
At his press conference, Hunter was less the fire eater and more the clown in the big top as he kept playing the victim, complaining that the mean Republicans had turned him into a human cannonball and taken advantage of his frailty as a human being and the gracious love of The Big Guy.
Of course, he denied that Joe had anything to do with his business deals. Sure, buddy.
And while the Hunter spectacle may have been the main event, there was plenty to feast your eyes upon. The sideshows were something to behold as well, as the Democrats wanted to make sure you took your eye off the ball so they could use the oldest magic trick in the world—the bait and switch—or is that the shell game?
AOC thinks the whole thing is an exercise in futility, kind of like her term in office, and KJP says she has no information or comments on the situation. Maybe we should start calling her Secretary Schultz because when the questions come, she knows nothing!
Last night, the ringmasters moved on to the main event—a vote to investigate the biggest clown of all: President Joe Biden.
With all Republicans saying yes and all Democrats saying no, the formal Impeachment inquiry was approved. This circus is just getting warmed up.
By early 2024, this show could hit the road with the approaching campaign season.
But the real question is: Who has the goods?
Democrats say this impeachment inquiry is a sham without any evidence and maybe they’re on to something. If anyone knows anything about fake impeachments, it’s the Democrats.
Republicans—even with the vote yesterday—are not all convinced that this one is wrapped up.
Grassley and Graham say they will follow the evidence wherever it leads and haven’t drawn any conclusions yet.
I guess we must wait until the curtain falls to see who can tame the lions in DC.