Investigate the investigator: James Comer must be sidelined pending thorough inquiry

Since assuming control of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer has launched a flurry of investigations targeting President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and even the widow of the President’s deceased son. Now he is seeking to weaponize the Oversight Committee to disrupt the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into the recently indicted Donald Trump. Comer’s hysterics have made him a mainstay on the Republican Party’s favorite propaganda outlet Fox News, appearing an absurd 11 times in the span of eight days. With every appearance and distasteful soundbite, you can sense the ego in Comer growing. He is relishing the spotlight and the power of the Committee.

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Another Republican chasing mainstream media legitimacy

This heightened sense of importance has Comer chasing something every Republican secretly craves but will never admit publicly, mainstream media legitimacy. For all of their whining about “fake news,” Republicans want nothing more than to receive coverage from the establishment media.

I’ve seen it firsthand with my former boss Darrell Issa, when he occupied the same position that Comer does now. I saw it with Steve Bannon when he worked to have establishment media launder his opposition research on Hillary Clinton. And now we’re seeing the same cycle repeat itself with James Comer.

Recently, Comer was the subject of a New York Times profile that told his political origin story. You might not believe this, but in the halls of the United States Capitol, the ultimate “you’ve made it” moment is becoming the subject of such an expansive piece from the “paper of record.” Why else would a Republican like Comer, who routinely attacks the establishment media, participate in such a story.

As the old adage goes, when you fly this close to the sun, it’s easy to get burned and in this case, Comer set himself on fire. In his interview with the Times, Comer bragged about illegally obtaining emails about a political adversary and leaked them to the press to aide his 2015 campaign for Kentucky Governor. Kentucky law makes it a felony to unlawfully access any “computer software, computer program, data, computer system, computer network, or any part thereof.” The Congressional Integrity Project sent a letter to the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird calling on her to launch a criminal investigation as misusing electronic information in this manner is a felony: “At the very least, it now appears that Chair Comer has admitted that he knowingly received – and then used, distributed, and leaked for his own political gain-emails that he knew to be unlawfully obtained, in violation of KRS 484.855.”

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It's time to investigate the investigator

All-of-a-sudden, the braggadocios Comer has gone quiet, refusing to answer questions about this apparent admission of guilt. His hometown paper reported that Comer’s spokesperson “did not address a question asking about Comer’s specific actions in relation to the emails and server in 2015.” A local TV station said Comer was sending “conflicting messages” about his involvement in obtaining the server and leaking the emails to the press.

If that wasn’t disqualifying enough, the Daily Beast broke startling news exposing Comer’s history of using investigations to further his own political standing, including influencing a grand jury investigation to illegally intimidate an ex-girlfriend and a blogger from publicizing allegations of abuse.

Comer shows he is unfit to lead the Oversight Committee

The Oversight Committee has the ability to access the most sensitive and privileged information you can imagine including emails, phone records, financial records, etc. The idea that someone like Comer, who has demonstrated a willingness to obtain private records, illegally, leak them, and then brag about his felonious activities to a national newspaper, signals how truly unfit he is to lead a Committee with this kind of discovery power. I can only imagine what he would do if he used his position to uncover the identities of the Grand Jury that has deliberated the Trump case in Manhattan.

As long as Comer is allowed to lead the Oversight Committee, every single investigative activity initiated by the Committee should be met with skepticism and suspicion. If Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy were actually in control of his caucus, he would sideline Comer pending a thorough investigation by the appropriate authorities. We know better than to expect that kind of leadership from Congressional Republicans, but that doesn’t mean Comer should get a free pass from everyone else. Until he answers for his self-admitted crimes, Comer should get the George Santos treatment from the media. Comer should get hounded every day, in every hallway, in every elevator, in every way conceivable until he explains his unethical and illegal conduct. It’s time to investigate the investigator.

Kurt Bardella is a Democratic strategist and a former senior advisor for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee. @KurtBardella

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: James comer must be sidelined pending investigation of his actions