Speaker 1: You're listening to the Bloomberg Sound on podcast. Catch us
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Speaker 2: Still no deal on the border, but the Biden impeachment
Speaker 2: inquiry appears to be moving forward. Welcome to the fastest
Speaker 2: show in politics, faster than usual today as we wind
Speaker 2: up to our special FED coverage. The start of congressional
Speaker 2: recess is approaching with a long to do list, and
Speaker 2: we're going to talk about it with Congressman Brian Style,
Speaker 2: the Republican from Wisconsin, back with us today. Of course,
Speaker 2: serves on the Financial Services Committee, and we'll have his
Speaker 2: view as we head into the holidays. Here where's Hunter
Speaker 2: turns out on Capitol Hill Today Hunter Biden will explain
Speaker 2: why and what's going on with this oversight committee. Hearing
Speaker 2: discuss it all with our signature panel Bloomberg Politics contributors
Speaker 2: Rick Davis and Genie Shanzeno are with us for the
Speaker 2: hour or what we have of it. As I mentioned
Speaker 2: one p thirty, roughly half an hour from now, we're
Speaker 2: going to kick things back to New York for our
Speaker 2: special FED coverage. Right now we go to Capitol Hill
Speaker 2: to talk with the Congressman from Wisconsin. Brian Style back
Speaker 2: with us, and it's good to see you, sir. We've
Speaker 2: been talking for months and months about getting around chaos
Speaker 2: and dysfunction in the House, and I wonder where your
Speaker 2: head is now. Is we head for the holidays without
Speaker 2: a lot to show for it when it comes to
Speaker 2: a deal on the border or supplemental budget requests for
Speaker 2: Israel and Ukraine. Congressman, can this all happen when you
Speaker 2: come back in January? How's it going to go?
Speaker 3: I think I share the frustration with the American people
Speaker 3: for where we're at right now. Dividing government is difficult,
Speaker 3: and we're showing that to the American people. Unfortunately, the
Speaker 3: pressing issues of the border, of dealing with our broader
Speaker 3: spending bills, national defense policy all still remain on the table.
Speaker 3: I'd love to see us stay here and try to
Speaker 3: get it done before Christmas. It looks more and more likely, unfortunately,
Speaker 3: that we're going to be working on these in the
Speaker 3: new year.
Speaker 2: Okay, how about we pick through these one by one
Speaker 2: here and I'll start with the border Congressman even a
Speaker 2: couple of days ago. And I know that negotiations are happening,
Speaker 2: primarily in the Senate, but it seemed like we were
Speaker 2: getting warmer, maybe closer to a deal, as Democrats acknowledge
Speaker 2: even the White House that they're open to changes to
Speaker 2: asylum law. Republicans, I realize in the House are sticking
Speaker 2: close to HR two. But do you see any wiggle
Speaker 2: room that might bring both parties to the middle here
Speaker 2: to make a compromise.
Speaker 3: Well, hopefully we can see the Biden administration dramatically change course.
Speaker 3: The fact that Democratic mayors and cities like New York
Speaker 3: are calling on the Biden administration to change course, I
Speaker 3: think adds credence to the argument that the policies the
Speaker 3: Biden administration have been disastrous at the US Mexico border.
Speaker 3: As you noted, the House of Representatives under Republican control
Speaker 3: past HR two a robust border security package, and it
Speaker 3: only increases funding to secure the border, but also addresses,
Speaker 3: in particular the abuse of the asylum laws of the
Speaker 3: United States, where many illegal immigrants are falsely claiming asylum
Speaker 3: and then waiting the three to four years before those
Speaker 3: cases could be heard. I'd love to see the Senate
Speaker 3: come to a deal where we can actually secure the
Speaker 3: US Mexico border. I too was optimistic not that long ago,
Speaker 3: but my optimism continues to fade by the fact that
Speaker 3: the Biden administration is not engaging directly in these negotiations.
Speaker 2: Are you encouraged by what you're hearing from Democratic lawmakers though,
Speaker 2: whether it's Chris Murphy or even like I said, reporting
Speaker 2: from Bloomberg that the White House is open to items
Speaker 2: that weren't even being discussed Congressman a couple of months ago,
Speaker 2: whether it's the parole system, enhancing the deportation process, or
Speaker 2: as you mentioned, tightening asylum law. This was not a
Speaker 2: conversation that we were having until really just weeks ago.
Speaker 2: Does that not feel like progress?
Speaker 3: Well, it's progress, but only because the political pressure is
Speaker 3: building on the administration. I mean again, the fact that
Speaker 3: the governor of New York State, the mayor of New
Speaker 3: York City, Democrats across the country who are operating at
Speaker 3: the state and local level are dealing with the challenges
Speaker 3: of an unsecured border and are getting to wits end
Speaker 3: where they're actually on the president to change course. Is
Speaker 3: that building a political pressure which is forcing the administration
Speaker 3: to begin to come to the table, but there's a
Speaker 3: long ways to go. Again. The House passed a robust
Speaker 3: border security bill that I think really should be taken
Speaker 3: up in the Senate. Let them amend it, Let them
Speaker 3: have the vote on the floor of the Senate and
Speaker 3: see where they stand if they want to. But I
Speaker 3: think on the whole the American people will look at
Speaker 3: the Republican past HR two border security bill and will
Speaker 3: say that's good legislation that we need to secure the
Speaker 3: US Mexico border.
Speaker 2: I don't want to do this whole talk on the border. Congressman,
Speaker 2: we've heard even from from Congressman or Senator James Lankford
Speaker 2: is the Republican lead of negotiations in the Senate. Remind
Speaker 2: that HR two did not get a single Democratic vote,
Speaker 2: And I know that you see it differently here, But
Speaker 2: if that's the starting point, won't that likely delay a
Speaker 2: final product here when we could be talking compromising on
Speaker 2: some areas that I've already mentioned where it appears Democrats
Speaker 2: and Republicans see eye to eye.
Speaker 3: Well, I think what we have here, though, Joe, is
Speaker 3: the political wins have shifted pretty dramatically. The problem that
Speaker 3: conservatives have pointed out in Biden's border policies are now
Speaker 3: coming to fruition, and we continue to see the challenges
Speaker 3: being faced at the state and local level across the country.
Speaker 3: And the fact that Democrat elected officials across the country
Speaker 3: are calling on the Biden administration to change course, I
Speaker 3: think actually gives credence to the fact that the Republican
Speaker 3: policy put forward has a lot of validity to it. Again,
Speaker 3: if the Senate wants to make amendments to this, put
Speaker 3: this on the floor of the Senate and allow the
Speaker 3: amendments to go forward, and we'll see where people are
Speaker 3: at regarding each and every provision. I think what would
Speaker 3: see is that the Senate would actually move this forward,
Speaker 3: and I think that's the fear of Chuck Schumer and
Speaker 3: the Biden administration.
Speaker 2: Interesting, something did come to the floor in the Senate
Speaker 2: just last week, and that was the actual supplemental request.
Speaker 2: There was a procedural vote on this one hundred plus
Speaker 2: billion dollars for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the money that
Speaker 2: had first been put forth by the White House for
Speaker 2: border sek curity. That of course failed, and the President
Speaker 2: talked about that in his news conference last evening with
Speaker 2: the President of Ukraine. Here's Joe Biden, and I'd love
Speaker 2: to have you respond.
Speaker 4: Russian loyalist in Moscow celebrated when Republicans voted to block
Speaker 4: Ukraine aid last week. A host of a Kremlin run
Speaker 4: show literally said, I quote, well done, Republicans.
Speaker 2: How do you respond to something like that, Congressman, knowing
Speaker 2: that funding for Ukraine as well as Israel and the
Speaker 2: others are on ice until the border can be solved.
Speaker 3: Well, I think ultimately right, it's a little bit of
Speaker 3: a pump fake there by the President trying to ignore
Speaker 3: the fact that Republicans have been pretty consistent. Let's secure
Speaker 3: the US Mexico border, and let's make sure that we're
Speaker 3: providing defense funding for our allies around the globe who
Speaker 3: are facing incredibly serious threats. So we can play the
Speaker 3: game of hide the ball, but it's not productive. The
Speaker 3: answer here is for the Senate to come to the
Speaker 3: table and to strike the deal to get the border
Speaker 3: security that's needed the US Mexico border, such that we
Speaker 3: can provide funding and in particular, provide weapons to the
Speaker 3: Ukrainians who're working to defend themselves against an unjust invasion
Speaker 3: from Russia as well as providing the resources that is
Speaker 3: needed in Israel so that they can eradicate the terrorist
Speaker 3: group Hamas.
Speaker 2: So you do support funding both as long as there's
Speaker 2: a border deal.
Speaker 3: Well, I think I want to look at any legislation
Speaker 3: that comes forward to make sure that it's targeted, to
Speaker 3: make sure that we have accountability for how those funds
Speaker 3: would be spent, to make sure that we actually have
Speaker 3: an endgame that we're driving forward. And as it relates
Speaker 3: to Ukraine, what I think we've really seen the President
Speaker 3: do is failure to actually dictate what the endgame is
Speaker 3: in Ukraine. That's a challenge in and of itself, but
Speaker 3: I think there is a true opportunity here to make
Speaker 3: sure that we're getting funding for the U in securing
Speaker 3: the US Mexico border and coupling that with the funding
Speaker 3: for our allies around the globe.
Speaker 2: Okay, a few other things that are on the list here,
Speaker 2: renewals for FIZA and the FAA. I know those have
Speaker 2: been kicked into the new year, and so has the
Speaker 2: budget itself. Congressman, are we going to be talking about
Speaker 2: a shutdown when you come back after the holidays? That
Speaker 2: the first transh of bills would expire in late January,
Speaker 2: the next in early February. This lattered cr that we
Speaker 2: all labored over is actually in place now, and the
Speaker 2: clock is ticking based on all of the other chaos
Speaker 2: and lack of compromise that we've seen the last couple
Speaker 2: of months. Do you think January will solve these issues?
Speaker 2: Or are we talking shutdown in twenty twenty four?
Speaker 3: This Congress has been so dysfunctional in a narrowly divided House,
Speaker 3: a narrowly divided Senate, and a Democratic president that has
Speaker 3: not been engaging. So I always remain concerned, but I've
Speaker 3: remained consistent keeping the United States government open and operational
Speaker 3: is an absolute priority. Republicans lose and Conservatives lose when
Speaker 3: we shut down the government because at the end of
Speaker 3: the day, we always end up spending more money. In
Speaker 3: the end, we need to get the top line number completed,
Speaker 3: meaning what's the total dollar amount that we're going to spend,
Speaker 3: strike that deal and allow the appropriators to get to
Speaker 3: work to determine how we're going to utilize the funds
Speaker 3: that we're going to allocate. The fact that we're delayed
Speaker 3: in this between Republicans and Democrats is darn frustrating for everyone.
Speaker 3: I remain concerned that this deadline is looming on us
Speaker 3: in the very near future. But hopefully this break that
Speaker 3: we're going to ultimately have for Christmas in the new
Speaker 3: year will allow cooler heads to prevail such that we
Speaker 3: can get the work done on funding for this year's
Speaker 3: ongoing federal government.
Speaker 2: That would be remarkable, not just based on history, but
Speaker 2: knowing the threats that could loom for the new Speaker
Speaker 2: of the House. I guess not so new. Mike Johnson
Speaker 2: has said no more crs. So that's going to be
Speaker 2: the question here whether there could be a short term solution. Congressman,
Speaker 2: would that get the speaker fired? Allah Kevin McCarthy if
Speaker 2: that happened.
Speaker 3: I think the Speaker has done a good job in
Speaker 3: unifying the House and moving us forward. Here is in
Speaker 3: a period of time where you have a narrow majority,
Speaker 3: and you have Democrats in the Senate and in the
Speaker 3: White House and divide a government, it is difficult to
Speaker 3: get anything done. I think when we hear that there's
Speaker 3: no more crs, let's get the actual job done. Let's
Speaker 3: actually pass the appropriations bills, the work that so much
Speaker 3: of the House has been done to do that. Passing
Speaker 3: a cr is not a good answer. It's simply better
Speaker 3: than shutting the government down. I think many of us
Speaker 3: are optimistic that we can get the top line number completed,
Speaker 3: allow the appropriators to get to work to get the
Speaker 3: final drafts of the bills done, and get those passed
Speaker 3: in both the House and the Senate and signed into
Speaker 3: law before the deadline.
Speaker 2: Have you heard from the Speaker about when everybody's going home, Congressman,
Speaker 2: I'm guessing that's going to be tomorrow or Friday.
Speaker 3: Well, we're scheduled here at the end of the week,
Speaker 3: but things in Washington change quickly. Again. If there's an
Speaker 3: opportunity to strike a deal to truly get border security,
Speaker 3: myself and others are going to stay in town to
Speaker 3: do that. Again. I would like us to stay here
Speaker 3: until we get that deal done, but ultimately we'll find
Speaker 3: out whether or not we're able to get that compromise
Speaker 3: and that piece of legislation across the line.
Speaker 2: Well, that would be a high sign. Otherwise, I guess
Speaker 2: we're back to this in January. I want to thank
Speaker 2: you for joining. Congressman Brian Style, the Republican from Wisconsin,
Speaker 2: another lawmaker here on this program, willing to work overtime
Speaker 2: through the weekend and up closer to the holiday like
Speaker 2: the rest of us, to make something happen. Congressman, if
Speaker 2: that's the case, we'd love to talk to you. We'll
Speaker 2: do good to see you, sir. With us from Capitol
Speaker 2: Hill Live Congressman Brian Style as we assemble our panel
Speaker 2: here on the Wednesday edition of Sound On, I'm Joe
Speaker 2: Matthew and Washington now joined by Rick Davis and Jeanie Shanzano,
Speaker 2: of course Bloomberg Politics contributors. Rick, it does look like
Speaker 2: they're going to be getting on airplanes on Friday and
Speaker 2: that there will not be a deal on the border.
Speaker 2: What do you make of Congressman styles idea everybody goes
Speaker 2: home for the holidays, cooler heads prevail. Because we've also
Speaker 2: seen the opposite happen when law makers leave town. What's
Speaker 2: this going to look like?
Speaker 5: Well, with all respect to Congressman Styles, I think a
Speaker 5: great interview. Very smart guy knows what's going on on
Speaker 5: Capitol Hill. But cooler heads never get anything done in Washington.
Speaker 5: I mean it's when they're back up against the wall.
Speaker 5: Deadlines are the only thing that gets Congress to act,
Speaker 5: and so why not use this perfectly good holiday to
Speaker 5: force these guys to earn a living and do their job.
Speaker 5: I mean, as he pointed out, there are a lot
Speaker 5: of appropriations bills that could use some work. It's not
Speaker 5: like they should be just sitting around waiting for the
Speaker 5: clock to tick, you know, not to mention Ukraine, Israel,
Speaker 5: border security and Taiwan. And everybody forgets about Taiwan. But
Speaker 5: they got elections in January. It'd be nice to show
Speaker 5: our support for the Taiwanese, you know, by passing this legislation.
Speaker 5: So I think the whole trick here is to jam
Speaker 5: them by forcing them to stick around until Christmas Eve
Speaker 5: if they have to. Won't be the first time. And
Speaker 5: I think the key player in this is who's got
Speaker 5: to be willing to make a deal on the border.
Speaker 5: That's probably going to upset his party, but it's the
Speaker 5: only way to get a deal done. In six months
Speaker 5: from now, he'll look pretty smart because he was able
Speaker 5: to fund this war in Ukraine and they were able
Speaker 5: to turn the tide in the spring.
Speaker 2: Well, the White House is apparently getting involved here in
Speaker 2: a real way, Jeanie, I don't know if Joe Biden
Speaker 2: can help to keep lawmakers in town. But we saw
Speaker 2: a really important meeting take place yesterday. Whether it leads
Speaker 2: to anything, I guess we'll decide how important it is
Speaker 2: going forward. But you've got the Homeland Secretary of may
Speaker 2: arcs there, the Deputy Chief of Staff was there, a
Speaker 2: Legislative Affairs director, all taking part in a meeting on
Speaker 2: Capitol Hill with the key negotiators. I'm guessing, Genie, you're
Speaker 2: going to tell me that should have taken place weeks ago,
Speaker 2: but it's happening now. Is that enough reason for lawmakers
Speaker 2: to stay in Washington?
Speaker 6: You know, I think they should stay in Washington. Of course,
Speaker 6: we all wished it happened weeks ago, hey, maybe years ago,
Speaker 6: but it didn't. The reality is, though, the incentive structure here,
Speaker 6: when you think about it from all perspectives, not just
Speaker 6: the White House, it's it's not playing to the advantage
Speaker 6: of anybody who wants to see border security passed. I mean,
Speaker 6: just think about it. Yes, the White House is getting
Speaker 6: pushed back from the left. We've heard from Senator Padia
Speaker 6: and others, the Hispanic Caucus. You've got a lot of
Speaker 6: folks on the left worried about what the White House
Speaker 6: may quote unquote cave in on. But it's not just
Speaker 6: the left. This would be a big boon to Brick's point,
Speaker 6: if the White House could get something on the border.
Speaker 6: Do we really think Republicans are incentivized to see that
Speaker 6: happen as we march weeks away into an election year.
Speaker 6: The incentive structure on the border issue has been wrong
Speaker 6: for a long time in my mind. Unfortunately, it continues
Speaker 6: to be wrong. The one thing I think we had
Speaker 6: in the favor with seeing Zelenski come over here. People
Speaker 6: do agree on getting Ukraine aated Israeli aid. Tying those
Speaker 6: together may push them over that, but so far we
Speaker 6: haven't seen movement there, and that's where I think we
Speaker 6: are held up at this point. And unfortunately, to Rix point,
Speaker 6: Taiwan but also Israel Ukraine probably going to have to
Speaker 6: wait until January if they get done at all at this.
Speaker 2: Point, Rick, CBS News reports the White House has a
Speaker 2: new proposal, a new border authority to expel migrants without
Speaker 2: asylum screenings, as well as a dramatic expansion of immigration
Speaker 2: detention and deportations. Congressman Style still talking about HR two,
Speaker 2: not a single Democrat voted for.
Speaker 1: That is an.
Speaker 2: Idea like this attractive? Or are you going to say
Speaker 2: we can't even enforce the rules currently on the books,
Speaker 2: what are we doing making a new border authority?
Speaker 5: Yeah, it sounds like a pretty interesting and run around
Speaker 5: old title forty two.
Speaker 2: We spent a lot of.
Speaker 5: Time this summer debating that, and so look, I mean
Speaker 5: it's it's creative, right. Last thing we need is another
Speaker 5: government agency. I mean that's what Homeline Security was created
Speaker 5: to do. And the fact that they aren't very good
Speaker 5: at it doesn't mean we need to replace something. You
Speaker 5: create something new. So I'm generally opposed to government expansion,
Speaker 5: but uh, look I want I want these these these
Speaker 5: these patriots in Ukraine and and Israel to get funding.
Speaker 5: I want a tighter border security. I'll take whatever I
Speaker 5: can get that titans the screening process and doesn't allow
Speaker 5: uh illegal immigration at our border, you know, without some
Speaker 5: kind of controls on it. And if this is one
Speaker 5: way to do that, not only will Republicans be interested
Speaker 5: in a deal like that, but big city mayors, who
Speaker 5: are all Democrats, whether they're in Chicago or New York,
Speaker 5: you know, uh, they are tired of you know, twenty
Speaker 5: buses a week coming into their cities and unloading immigrants
Speaker 5: looking for asylum.
Speaker 2: Giny, you mentioned the President uh meeting with President Zelenski yesterday.
Speaker 2: We didn't have a chance to talk about this because
Speaker 2: their news conference ran late at start, almost an hour late.
Speaker 2: Their meeting in the Oval ran late. Was that a
Speaker 2: worthy visit? It sounds like you thought it had an impact.
Speaker 2: We may not have a border deal, but it reminded
Speaker 2: folks of the needs in Ukraine. We heard some lawmakers though,
Speaker 2: suggest that they've been seeing a little too much of
Speaker 2: President Zelensky, not necessarily in person, but the asks keep coming.
Speaker 2: You know, on his last visit, his attitude rubbed people
Speaker 2: the wrong way. Does coming here in person help, you.
Speaker 6: Know, it can't hurt. The reality is there is bipartisan
Speaker 6: support still in Congress to get aid to Ukraine. Arguably
Speaker 6: to your point, there are more questions in Congress about
Speaker 6: the aid, how it's being used, what the end game
Speaker 6: is here. But the reality is is the Lensky came
Speaker 6: over here and he is being asked to move Congress
Speaker 6: on something that he has no control over, which is
Speaker 6: the border. And so you know, I'm not sure it
Speaker 6: makes that much of a difference. What was a difference
Speaker 6: was this year. I mean, last year he comes and
Speaker 6: there is standing ovation. This year we even saw Congress
Speaker 6: people who weren't even that interested in meeting with him
Speaker 6: or hearing from him. The ones who support him said
Speaker 6: that publicly. The ones who don't have been vocal about that.
Speaker 6: He does have the support needed, but if that's tied
Speaker 6: to border, it's not going to be something that Vladimir Zelenski,
Speaker 6: as talented as he is, can impact. And so this
Speaker 6: is where you know, I'm not sure that his visit,
Speaker 6: it's got to have been distressing for him. I'm not
Speaker 6: sure it's going to be effective and getting him what
Speaker 6: he needs in the short term.
Speaker 2: Was that a smart move Rick to come to the
Speaker 2: United States in the middle of all of this. Cito's
Speaker 2: about the border debate. President Zelensky knows about the funding
Speaker 2: issues here in Washington, the lack of consensus. He's still
Speaker 2: parachuted in the middle of it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, there is consensus on support for Ukraine, but there
Speaker 5: are a lot of chirping members in both the House
Speaker 5: and the Senate. And and we've talked about this being
Speaker 5: sort of a deadline. Right deadlines are good to get
Speaker 5: things done in Congress. He took the risk to travel
Speaker 5: here because he knew that we were entering a deadline
Speaker 5: and could we get this done before the end of
Speaker 5: the year, before the Christmas break, and he was willing
Speaker 5: to gamble his time and travel in order to get
Speaker 5: that done. I think he was respectfully received. I think
Speaker 5: that it probably drew more attention to Ukraine than otherwise
Speaker 5: would have gotten without him being here. So I think
Speaker 5: all those things are positive. Let's see what will come
Speaker 5: out of it. Let's see whether or not Republicans and
Speaker 5: Democrats in the Seneca work together to fashion a bipartisan solution,
Speaker 5: which is being worked on fevershly right now, to try
Speaker 5: and get out before these guys break for Christmas.
Speaker 2: Quick gut check before we go to Charlie Pellett for
Speaker 2: an update on the market. So I haven't even mentioned
Speaker 2: Hunter yet, and we're going to get there. For Rick
Speaker 2: and Genie, I'll start with Eugenius. The government going to
Speaker 2: shut down beginning of next year.
Speaker 6: I don't think it's in anybody's interest, so I'm gonna
Speaker 6: say no. But the three voat margin, I think it's
Speaker 6: anybody's guest. Given where the House is at this point.
Speaker 2: You know, the Republicans have an allergy, including the speaker
Speaker 2: Rick to another cr What do you think, Yeah, I.
Speaker 5: Think that forces action would have had more confidence than
Speaker 5: if they'd gotten some decent work done on those appropriations
Speaker 5: bills that are due by that first deadline in January,
Speaker 5: that it would have been a relatively easy thing to
Speaker 5: pass those. I think the Freedom Caucuses on their heels.
Speaker 5: So now's the time to sort of do the government's
Speaker 5: work while you still have a bit of a honeymoon.
Speaker 2: A speaker, Well, if only they listen to our panel
Speaker 2: more closely like we do. Where's Hunter he's here today
Speaker 2: in Washington. As a matter of fact, we're going to
Speaker 2: do that next and talk about a looming vote here
Speaker 2: on what appears to be set to formalize an impeachment.
Speaker 2: Incre you to Joe Biden. It's all happening today in
Speaker 2: the Capitol.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Bloomberg Sound on podcast catch us
Speaker 1: Live He's ad one, Eastern, Bloomberg dot Com, the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: and the Bloomberg Business app, or listen on demand wherever
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2: I'm Joe Matthew in Washington. You know who else is here,
Speaker 2: Hunter Biden. Not a lot of folks saw this coming.
Speaker 2: An interesting decision to actually set up a podium and
Speaker 2: a microphone right outside the capital. First thing this morning,
Speaker 2: reporters called to the steps of the Capitol again. Here
Speaker 2: he is.
Speaker 7: I am here to testify at a public hearing today
Speaker 7: to answer any of the committee's legitimate questions. Republicans do
Speaker 7: not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics,
Speaker 7: expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say.
Speaker 7: What are they afraid of? I'm here, I'm ready.
Speaker 2: Ready to testify publicly. But that's not what the committee wanted.
Speaker 2: The Oversight Committee, led by James Comer, wanted a closed
Speaker 2: door testimony from the younger Biden. This, of course, is
Speaker 2: Joe Biden's son. We knew in advance that he was
Speaker 2: not gonna do that. Through his lawyers. Hunter Biden already
Speaker 2: said that he would in fact answer the call to testify,
Speaker 2: but would only do so publicly. Members of the committee
Speaker 2: not happy, including members of the Judiciary Committee. Here's chair
Speaker 2: Jim Jordan.
Speaker 8: Disappointed that they didn't show up. I mean, he was
Speaker 8: just across the way at the Capitol you think he
Speaker 8: could have come here and set the question. If you're
Speaker 8: doing it in an open format, now you're gonna get
Speaker 8: You're gonna get filibusters, you're gonna get speeches, You're gonna
Speaker 8: get all kinds of things.
Speaker 2: What we want is the fact and all this is
Speaker 2: leading us to a vote later today. And you can
Speaker 2: connect the dots on this as you see fit. But
Speaker 2: it does appear to be a vote on an impeachment
Speaker 2: inquiry against Joe Biden. That'll happen after the closing bell.
Speaker 2: Let's reassemble the panel for their thoughts on this. Jinny
Speaker 2: Shanzano and Rick Davis Umberg Politics contributors, Genie, how could
Speaker 2: you say he is a no show when he showed?
Speaker 2: Was that a smart move for Hunter Biden?
Speaker 3: Today?
Speaker 6: It was a smart move. He is well represented by
Speaker 6: Abby Lowell, and I have to say, listening to Jim Jordan,
Speaker 6: since when did the representative oppose speeches and people grandstanding
Speaker 6: and felibustering. It's not that Jim Jordan used to know.
Speaker 2: Fair enough, that's what we thought hearings were for Rick Davis.
Speaker 2: But when you listen to Hunter Biden, he's referring to
Speaker 2: Maga He's sounding a lot like a politician here, or
Speaker 2: at least a political operative, knowing of course that some
Speaker 2: horrible things have been said about Hunter Biden, and he's
Speaker 2: done some pretty bad things too, as he acknowledged today
Speaker 2: in his speak.
Speaker 7: They continue to insist that my father's support of Ukraine
Speaker 7: against Russia is the result of a non existent bribe.
Speaker 7: They displayed naked photos of me during an oversight hearing,
Speaker 7: and they have taken the light of my dad's love,
Speaker 7: the light of my dad's love for me, and presented
Speaker 7: it as darkness. They have no shame.
Speaker 2: Rick Geny mentioned his lawyer Abby Lowell. This sounded like
Speaker 2: a speech that was written by the White House or
Speaker 2: maybe the Biden campaign, should Hunter Biden, Well, let me
Speaker 2: rephrase that. Does Hunter Biden help himself by making references
Speaker 2: to the ultra maga?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 5: I think it was actually a speech that would have
Speaker 5: been more likely written by Donald Trump's campaign. I mean,
Speaker 5: this is the year of no shame. I mean, so
Speaker 5: he just pulls up full you know, Donald Trump, and
Speaker 5: talks about his own foid balls and brings up a
Speaker 5: lot of topics. Nobody, nobody in the Biden campaign is
Speaker 5: going to sit around and say, yeah, let's go out
Speaker 5: there and talk about your drug addiction and all the
Speaker 5: problems that you had and all the laws that you
Speaker 5: knowingly and wilfully broke, and the ears of prison time
Speaker 5: that you've got coming down as the son of a
Speaker 5: president United States. Yeah, nobody's gonna nobody's gonna write that script.
Speaker 5: But Donald Trump, bring it on. The only thing that
Speaker 5: was missing was this is not a prosecution against me.
Speaker 5: It's a prosecution against you, the people of America. I mean,
Speaker 5: like I was waiting for that in the speech and
Speaker 5: it didn't come through. I was disappointed.
Speaker 2: Oh boy, all right, So let me turn that back
Speaker 2: around then, Jeannie. Is the Biden campaign cringing right now?
Speaker 2: Wouldn't they talk to him first?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 6: You know, I think they. I listened to what he
Speaker 6: had to say, and I thought it was well done.
Speaker 6: And I think the Biden administration is saying, way to go.
Speaker 6: And while Rick didn't hear them make the case you
Speaker 6: know they're prosecuting you, I certainly did. I mean, that's
Speaker 6: the case he is making. This is a political prosecution
Speaker 6: against my father because Donald Trump is worried about running
Speaker 6: against him. If it wasn't he he wasn't running. Do
Speaker 6: you think Republicans would be spending any time on Hunter Biden.
Speaker 6: I mean, that's the case he is making. Now, let's
Speaker 6: set that aside. Hunter Biden has done some really arguably
Speaker 6: horrific things illegal, and he should and is, in his
Speaker 6: own mind, in his own words, being held accountable for
Speaker 6: those There's no question. The question here is tying it
Speaker 6: to the president without any evidence so far of high
Speaker 6: crimes and misdemeanors. That's the problem. This is all political,
Speaker 6: and he's making that case and he'll continue.
Speaker 2: To Well, I wonder your thoughts on that. Let's go
Speaker 2: to the big one here, and that's the impeachment inquiry.
Speaker 2: It looks like there'll be a vote today that codifies
Speaker 2: this as a legitimate exercise in the House of Representatives.
Speaker 2: Maybe I shouldn't use the word legitimate. It'll make it official.
Speaker 2: You can save the tweets and emails. But Rick, we
Speaker 2: still haven't seen the smoking gun, a document that ties
Speaker 2: these activities by Hunter to the president or what Jim
Speaker 2: Comer refers to as the Biden crime family. Will Republicans
Speaker 2: regret moving this into impeachment?
Speaker 5: You know it's it's going to be a news story tonight.
Speaker 5: I mean, you know they're going to try and take
Speaker 5: this vote. The only thing that makes it an interesting
Speaker 5: news story is if they actually fail, I guess is
Speaker 5: it'll be a party line straight up, and they'll have
Speaker 5: a couple of vote margin and and and and claim
Speaker 5: that you know, they're going to move forward with this inquiry.
Speaker 5: Many members have already stated that unless there is a
Speaker 5: smoking gun, as you say, Joe, they're not going to
Speaker 5: vote for impeachment. And so this could be the longest
Speaker 5: inquiry in the history of impeachments. It could last all
Speaker 5: the way through to the election day next year. And and look,
Speaker 5: I mean I think Hunter gained them right, I mean,
Speaker 5: they wanted to take this vote tonight on the heels
Speaker 5: of his testimony. You don't think Comber would have run
Speaker 5: out of that that that hearing room that had been
Speaker 5: locked all day long and say I've got a smoking gun.
Speaker 5: We've got to open this inquiry now, I mean, like
Speaker 5: of course he would. So he's denied them that satisfaction.
Speaker 5: They got to take a straight vote. Now, it's all politics,
Speaker 5: as Genie says, But I've actually seen a lot of
Speaker 5: surveys where the American public is not backing this inquiry,
Speaker 5: so you know, proceed at your own risk. House Republicans.
Speaker 5: You wouldn't be the first time that when Congress goes
Speaker 5: after a president that it backfires on him politically. Bill Clinton, m.
Speaker 2: Does Joe Biden come out stronger than Jeannie?
Speaker 6: You know, I'm not so sure if he does or not.
Speaker 6: I think the reason we're seeing to eighteen from the
Speaker 6: Biden districts, eighteen Republicans who look likely at this point
Speaker 6: to support this inquiry vote is because they don't see
Speaker 6: a downside. We've talked about this before. Impeachment has now
Speaker 6: become watered down political tool to be used. It's stunning
Speaker 6: to me for a party that claims that it is,
Speaker 6: you know, committed to the Constitution, that they read the
Speaker 6: Constitution in a very fair and inconsistent with the with
Speaker 6: the way the Framers intended it to are do pushing
Speaker 6: for this because there is zero r evidence again of
Speaker 6: high crimes and misdemeanors. So, you know, I'm not sure
Speaker 6: though they see a downside because they think this will
Speaker 6: gin up their support at the polls, it will gin
Speaker 6: up contributions, and it won't deter independence potentially, So it's
Speaker 6: just another tool now and they're pursuing it, and this
Speaker 6: is why people are frustrated with Washington d C.
Speaker 2: Ginny Schanzano and Rick Davis, who thank you as always
Speaker 2: for great analysis. Thanks for listening to the Sound On podcast.
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