A hemp deal that Rep. James Comer (R-KY) could hail as a win for Kentucky ended in a swiftly buried Chinese pot bust, according to a new report.
M.L. Nestel
June 4, 2024
U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, attends a media event at the National Press Club on January 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. Comer outlined his committee's agenda for the upcoming Congress including his plan to investigate President Biden's son Hunter Biden and his overseas business deals. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Daily Beast Tuesday revealed a sweeping expose about the House Oversight Committee chair — known for lobbing accusations against President Joe Biden's son Hunter over ties to a Chinese energy company — and his snafus importing Chinese hemp while running for the governorship of his state.
Citing emails pulled from official state documents, the Daily Beast reveals the legal hemp Comer tried to import the country was "essentially Chinese pot, containing illegally high levels of THC."
On Sept. 30, 2014, an email shared with Comer and others involved in the hemp efforts paints the picture a nervous driver freaking over the payload that "reeked of pot," the Beast reports.
“FYI—your eyes only,” the email reads, according to The Beast. “The driver who picked up the hemp seed was scared all the way back from Murray. He stated the odor was very strong and he observed a few truckers pass his truck and snicker.
"I was told the smell is identical to what maryj [marijuana] smells like...I personally have to take their word for it."
The driver was described as being "terrified of the potential of being pulled over and having to explain his way out of the delema [sic].”
The timeline of the efforts to secure the hemp from a company known as Caudill Seed overlapped Comer's 2015 unsuccessful run for governor, The Beast reports.
And from the outset, Comer considered their efforts to be on the up and up.
“There is nothing criminal occurring with the projects,” according to a memo cited by the Beast. “The program is in compliance with both state and federal regulations; there is nothing to hide.”
And Comer himself has lauded the hemp sourcing efforts when he attempted to sponsor "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017" in Congress.
Only when he advertised his past experience, the Beast notes the "Chinese hemp imports—potentially mislabeled 'as a decoy' for customs inspection and eventually found to contain quantities of THC nearly ten times the legal limit—were never made public."
“There is nothing criminal occurring with the projects,” according to a memo cited by the Beast. “The program is in compliance with both state and federal regulations; there is nothing to hide.”
And Comer himself has lauded the hemp sourcing efforts when he attempted to sponsor "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017" in Congress.
Only when he advertised his past experience, the Beast notes the "Chinese hemp imports—potentially mislabeled 'as a decoy' for customs inspection and eventually found to contain quantities of THC nearly ten times the legal limit—were never made public."
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