Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) irked conservatives after donning a mask of Russian President Vladimir Putin to a President Joe Biden impeachment inquiry hearing on Wednesday.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is investigating whether the Biden family improperly profited from policy during Joe Biden’s vice presidency.
The White House has denounced the impeachment efforts as politically motivated, while Hunter Biden—the president’s son and top focus of Joe Biden’s critics—has denied his father having any involvement in his business dealings.
Moskowitz previously blasted the impeachment efforts by saying that Republicans have no evidence and are “sticking to the instructions beamed down from Trump on Truth Social.”
In September, the Florida Democrat posted a photoshopped image of Reps. James Comer (R-Kentucky), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), and Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) for participating in what he called “the MAGAOlympics.”
“The Biden impeachment hearing this week isn’t about conducting legitimate oversight,” he wrote. “It’s a competition to see who can be Donald Trump’s best friend. And MAGA Republicans are going for the gold.”
But Moskowitz ratcheted up his criticism of the proceedings on Wednesday with the Putin mask stunt, a reference to Democrats’ accusations that Republicans are amplifying Russian disinformation.
“I just came to thank James Comer for taking all of our intelligence and using it in the committee,” he told reporters while wearing the mask. “Maybe he can come see the technology in our grocery stores.”
The grocery store comment was likely a dig at ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who, during his visit to Moscow last month, praised a grocery store’s decades-old technology that requires a small, refundable deposit to access a shopping cart.
Moskowitz’s mask stunt is riling conservatives on social media, who denounced the move as performative.
“What nonsense,” wrote Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice. “Grow up.”
“Democrats never have any ideas, only theater and performance,” commented one pro-Trump X account.
“Peaceful J6 protestors get jailed for decades but a representative is allowed to disgrace our government like this?” replied another user.
“Moskowitz doing this is the ultimate irony,” commented right-wing editor Raheem Kassam, referencing Putin’s comments that he’d prefer Biden to Trump as the next president.
Hunter Biden declined to appear at Wednesday’s hearing.
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