Democrats on the House Oversight Committee hammered Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for displaying sexually explicit images of President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, during a hearing on Wednesday, citing it as evidence that Republicans have no evidence in their widely-hyped Biden probe.
Greene showed the graphic poster boards during her questioning of two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers involved in an investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes who testified before the committee Wednesday. While the faces of the other people in the images were covered with black boxes, what appeared to be the younger Biden's face was left on display.
"I would like to let the committee and everyone watching at home know that parental discretion is advised," Greene warned before questioning IRS special agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. Both agents believe the federal investigation of Hunter Biden was flawed, and Shapley has claimed that officials for the Department of Justice hindered the probe.
Greene showed the explicit photographs near the end of her questioning, suggesting without evidence that they displayed Hunter Biden "making pornography." She also asked Ziegler if Hunter Biden violated the controversial Mann Act, which criminalizes the transport of any woman or girl for "prostitution or debauchery," or "any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense," by buying a plane ticket for an alleged sex worker to visit him in Washington, D.C.
Other members of the committee's panel immediately protested her move.
"In an effort to 'own' Hunter Biden, they are assembling nude photos of him, having some intern have to sit in a room and blow up these photos and put it on poster boards and figure out, 'Oh, which ones are beyond the pale?'" Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said during his speaking time, mocking the ultra-conservative Georgian's poster.
Moskowitz: Im an effort to own Hunter Biden, they're assembling nude photos of him. Having some intern have to sit in a room and blow up these photos and put it on poster board pic.twitter.com/msdXikyo8z
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 19, 2023
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., called out Greene's move and lamented the lack of evidence produced in the GOP-led investigations into the Bidens.
"So let's first zero in on the bottom line," Garcia began, adding, "What we have is two IRS investigators who clearly worked very hard on the Hunter Biden investigation. And thank you both for being here today. You both gave recommendations to prosecutors based on your work which you describe today.
"And then Donald Trump's handpicked prosecutor then made recommendations to charge Hunter," he continued. "He acted independently and he himself has confirmed this. You did your job making recommendations and the prosecutor did his job. You don't have to agree with his conclusions.
"But that's the bottom line of what we have today at this hearing. But today's hearing is like most of the majority's investigations and hearings, a lot of allegations, zero proof, no receipts, but apparently some dick pics," Garcia said.
"Now, at a certain point, the American people need some actual evidence. Actual evidence, but we've seen absolutely none," he concluded.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA): “Today’s hearing is like most of the majority’s investigations and hearings. A lot of allegations. Zero proof. No receipts. But apparently, some dick pics.” pic.twitter.com/HX7ELIfrwy
— The Recount (@therecount) July 19, 2023
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., declared the hearing "ludicrous" and accused House Republicans of hypocrisy by suddenly caring about tax evasion and sex workers despite former President Donald Trump recently encountering similar charges.
"Let's just remember, there was a case in New York not too long ago where our former president also got into trouble regarding payments and regarding a stripper and was found guilty of a violation in civil court," Mfume said, according to Mediaite, adding, "But I'm grateful that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are taking, at least, tax evasion very seriously. I would welcome also hearing on the former president's history of tax evasion and how long it took to see his tax returns covering ten years, and what was the outcome of that decision."
The Maryland Democrat also mocked the GOP's elevated interest in protecting the IRS despite its repeated vows to defund or abolish the agency altogether.
"I love the fact that we are so much in love with the IRS. In fact, Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy said, when he was elected on the 15th vote, that the first bill that he would repeal funding for was the bill that would provide for 87,000 additional IRS employees," he said. "My, don't we love the IRS? We're just gonna cut their budget. In fact, there's a member of this committee who on their own website said that they are proud to have voted to strip away the plan to empower the IRS with additional funding."
Mfume took one final jab at the GOP before tearing up his notes and yielding his time:
"[W]e could be, quite frankly, using our time to better talk about crime in America that's affecting everybody. Attacks on women's health, the economy, budgetary issues, public education, housing, the need for senior citizens to be able to pay for prescription drugs, child poverty and mental health, to name a few.," he said. "And yet we are doing this all over again for "The Hunter Biden Show" to someone who has pleaded guilty and has taken responsibility for not filing taxes for two years.
"This is ludicrous. Beam me up, Scotty. There's no intelligent life down here. None," he concluded.
Democrat Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) throws a temper tantrum and rips up his written remarks during a House Oversight hearing concluding with the outburst, "Beam me up, Scotty! There is no intelligent life down here! None!" pic.twitter.com/8jJShnIvnh
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 19, 2023
In her closing remarks, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who also sits on the panel, dubbed the images "pornographic" and admonished Republicans for hitting a "new low."
"Frankly, I don't care who you are in this country, no one deserves that," she said.
AOC: Today also marked a new low when pornographic images were paraded in this hearing… I don't care who you are in this country. No one deserves that. pic.twitter.com/hUp61qnYUu
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 19, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez also took aim at Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in her remarks, seemingly making reference to the Justice Department's investigation into whether he trafficked a 17-year-old.
"If the gentle lady from Georgia wanted to follow evidence, we should also take a look at hypothetically, a case where sex trafficking charges against a 17-year-old girl potentially—" Ocasio-Cortez said before her time expired.
Gaetz maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, which began in 2020 when he was accused of paying for sex, including with a girl he allegedly paid to travel with him, and ultimately no charges were filed against him.
Rep. @AOC (D-NY) seems to call out Rep. Gaetz (R-FL) after Rep. Greene (R-GA) held up naked pictures of Hunter Biden:
— The Recount (@therecount) July 19, 2023
“If the gentlelady from Georgia wanted to follow evidence, we should also take a look at, hypothetically... sex trafficking charges against a 17-year-old girl…” pic.twitter.com/dhkwsP2oMK
The top Democrat in the panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Md., said in an interview after the hearing ended that showing the graphic images was "completely irrelevant" to the hearing and "did not advance in any way the putative objective of the hearing."
He called Greene's action "deliberately provocative and sensationalistic and voyeuristic," adding that he hopes to speak to committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., "about this as an assault to the dignity of the committee."
Republicans, however, did not seem to consider Greene's move an act of impropriety. An official Twitter account for the GOP majority of the committee posted a clip of Greene's questioning and the poster boards. Spokespeople for Comer did not immediately respond to the Post's requests for comment.
Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell slammed the Georgia Republican's display as "political theater."
"We are curious to hear how that instance of pure harassment of a private person's personal life informed Congress of some real gap in our tax laws," Lowell said, adding "Nothing is beneath Ms. Greene."
The hearing continued after the display, resuming its broader purpose of examining allegations that the federal inquiry into Hunter Biden was inappropriately lenient, a claim the Justice Department and those in the younger Biden's orbit deny.
Hunter Biden reached a tentative agreement — which will likely prevent him from serving time — with federal prosecutors last month to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes and admit to the facts of a gun charge after the years-long investigation came to a close. He is due in a Delaware federal court on July 26 to enter his plea.
