House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer delivered a devastating rebuke to Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) during a Rules Committee hearing on legislation aimed at rooting out government fraud, exposing once again the Left’s apparent unwillingness to confront the rampant waste, abuse, and corruption plaguing federal programs.
As The Gateway Pundit has extensively reported, Chairman Comer has already exposed billions in fraud in Democrat-run states, including the massive welfare and social services scams in Minnesota under Gov. Tim Walz and similar schemes in other blue strongholds.
Now he’s pushing real solutions: pre-payment verification, expanded “Do Not Pay” systems, better data access, and modern tools like AI to catch fraud before the money leaves the building. GAO estimates put annual fraud losses between $233 billion and $521 billion.
During a House Rules Committee meeting on critical Republican legislation to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse of American tax dollars, Rep. Fernández tried every trick in the book to change the subject — Epstein files, subpoenas, “oversight,” anything to avoid talking about the actual fraud draining hardworking Americans dry.
Chairman Rep. James Comer wasn’t having any of it.
Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández: So, Chair Comer, there was a subpoena for the now-former secretary, and she did not testify under oath or in a committee hearing where everybody could see what it was. And that was about the Epstein files, I think, and you allowed her to testify—not actually testify.
James Comer: Who are you talking about now? I thought you were talking about Kristi Noem.
Rep. Fernández: Well, I think I was going to go to the fact that we need to have oversight. Have you had any oversight of some of these contracts that appear to be quite fraudulent, and are you doing it in a way that would allow the American public to see what the answers are? I think it is relevant because whether or not you’re complying with congressional law—and the Epstein Transparency Act is congressional law—you allowed her to testify—
James Comer: Are we talking about fraud? What are we talking about? I don’t think you understand what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about fraud.
Rep. Fernández: I’m talking about oversight. I’m talking about oversight.
James Comer: Oversight of fraud. We’re talking about taxpayer dollars. We’re talking about fraud. This bill has to do with fraud. This is something that’s a foreign concept to Democrats. You just want to keep spending more money. You don’t care about the poor, hardworking Americans who spend 40% of their paycheck on taxes and are sick and tired of their money being wasted by fraudsters. That’s what this bill is about.
And you talk about inspectors general. My God, where have the inspectors general been on all this fraud?
This fraud’s been happening for years. I would fire them all and hire new ones that are going to use AI technology to detect fraud. All you all do is kiss the butts of the federal employees. You don’t want to fire anybody.
Kristi Noem—I agree with what you’re saying. She got fired. She should have gotten fired. Anybody that defrauds the taxpayers should get fired. You all never fired anybody.
And you talk about the pardons. The last president, who we investigated, pardoned his whole family, and you all didn’t say a word. You giggle all you want. The American people are fed up. You’re going to be in for a shock, I think, when you see how angry the people are at fraud and the Democrats’ lack of doing anything.
These should be bipartisan bills to detect fraud. And all you’re concerned about is hiring more federal employees who have not been detecting fraud.
Rep. Fernández: I think what Democrats are concerned about is the ongoing fraud of our taxpayer dollars inflicted on the American people. We are seeing it over and over again.
And, you know, we just saw that this administration—Trump—wanted a slush fund that was basically a fraud on the taxpayers so he could give it to the January 6th insurrectionists, 97 of whom have already been convicted of new crimes.
We have seen that fraud in the terms of the way he is giving out pardons, selling pardons, and then pardoning—
James Comer: Your president, your beloved President Biden, pardoned his whole family for fraud. Pardoned his whole family on the way out the door.
Rep. Fernández: I am speaking. I have not asked you a question.
WATCH:
The post MIC DROP: Rep. James Comer Torches Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández for Deflecting on Fraud — “And You Talk About the Pardons… The Last President Who We Investigated Pardoned His Whole Family” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.