House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., claimed on Sunday that the panel cannot track down a key informant in the Republicans' probe into the Biden family's business dealings.
Republicans have repeatedly pushed corruption allegations against the Bidens that have frustrated even Fox News hosts. "You don't have any facts," host Steve Doocy told Comer last week.
Fox News host Maria Bartiromo pressed Comer on the evidence on Sunday.
"You also spoke with an informant who gave you all of this information," she said. "Where is that informant today? Where are these whistleblowers?"
"Well, unfortunately, we can't track down the informant," Comer replied. "We're hopeful that the informant is still there. The whistleblower knows the informant. The whistleblower is very credible."
Comer added that "no president has ever been accused of the things that the Biden family's been accused of."
"Hold on a second, Congressman. Did you just say that the whistleblower or the informant is now missing?" Bartiromo interjected.
"Well, we're hopeful that we can find the informant," Comer said. "Remember, these informants are kind of in the spy business, so they don't make a habit of being seen a lot or being high profile or anything like that."
Comer added that nine of the 10 informants "that we've identified that have very good knowledge with respect to the Bidens, they're one of three things. They're either currently in court, they're currently in jail, or they're currently missing."
Bartiromo called the congressman's claim "absolutely extraordinary."
"It is stunning that some people are missing, that you need to the prove this," she said. "Just stunning. A stunning breaking news story this morning that some of these people now may be missing," she later added as she wrapped up the interview.
Maria Bartiromo learns from James Comer that the informant that made the alleged allegations against Joe Biden, can’t be located by Republicans. They have an “informant” but they supposedly can’t find him.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) May 14, 2023
REP. JAMES COMER: Well, we we're hopeful that we can find the appropriate… pic.twitter.com/i4qltoP3xD
Democrats mocked Comer's claim.
"The dog ate my homework," tweeted Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who served as lead Democratic counsel during Trump's second impeachment.
Attorney Mark Zaid noted on Twitter that he has represented intelligence community whistleblowers for more than 25 years.
"Strange, I've never lost one," he wrote.
I've represented #whistleblowers, especially within Intelligence Community (spies), for more than 25 years. Strange, I've never lost one.
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) May 14, 2023
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️https://t.co/OxtxEavVtB
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough laughed at the Republican's claim on Monday's edition of "Morning Joe."
"I mean, come on," he said. "You lost an informant? You lost the informant! The guy you claimed gave you all this information, that you built this entire charade on?"
Conservative panelist Charlie Sykes sarcastically added that it is "never a good thing when you lose your informant."
"James Comer has been making one big promise after another," he said. "He's been saying we're going to have this big bombshell -- what's obvious is he doesn't have the bombshell, he doesn't have the smoking gun, he doesn't have evidence, and he's lost his informant. This is beyond embarrassing."
Fellow panelist Mara Gay, a New York Times columnist, called Comer's claim a "one of the rare moments of lucidity" when you "see the emperor has no clothes and this is all bunk."
"This is based on absolutely no real evidence whatsoever," she said. "Because, of course, we know that whistleblowers just don't go missing suddenly, so it is absurd."
