Representative James Comer, a wealthy farmer known for owning extensive land in his rural Kentucky hometown, meticulously reports nearly 1,600 acres (645 hectares) of landholdings in his congressional financial disclosures. However, a 6-acre (2.4 hectares) parcel he purchased in 2015 and co-owns with a long-time campaign donor has been treated differently. Comer transferred his share of this property to Farm Team Properties, a shell company he shares with his wife.
The Associated Press conducted interviews and reviewed records, shedding light on this financial transaction, which may potentially weaken some of Comer’s key arguments in his impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden. For months, as the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Comer and his Republican colleagues have criticized Biden and his family for allegedly leveraging their name to secure business deals.
Comer has particularly targeted Biden family members, such as the president’s son, Hunter, for their use of shell companies. These companies are perceived as means to conceal earnings from various intermediaries and foreign entities. This scrutiny from Comer comes amidst revelations about his use of a shell company in a land deal, drawing attention to the parallels between his actions and those he criticizes in the Biden family.
Donald Trump Jr. recently took to his Twitter account and posted the following:
“What is Hunter hiding?
Don’t fall for the fake notions of transparency with “public hearing”. It’s the exact opposite of what they’re telling you. Closed-door testimony is far more rigorous, done by professionals and investigators, and the only way to get into the details. There’s a reason Hunter does not want to do it that way and I promise you it’s not transparency. What a joke.”