Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is being sued.
Former Hunter Biden associate Tony Bobulinski filed the lawsuit on Monday after Rep. Raskin failed to retract the numerous statements and social media posts attempting to smear his reputation.
“Defendant, Jamin (“Jamie”) Raskin, has repeatedly lied about Plaintiff, Anthony Bobulinski, implying, and directly stating, that Mr. Bobulinski has lied to Congress and is a Trump campaign plant and pawn, who has collaborated with the Trump campaign, engaged in criminal acts and is not a reliable witness,” the lawsuit, a copy of which was received by PJ Media, reads. “Defendant lied solely to serve his political agenda by deliberately besmirching the character of Mr. Bobulinski and to protect Joseph Biden. Defendant’s assertions are unequivocally false and defamatory.”
Bobulinski’s legal team cited tweets by the House Oversight Democrats making outlandish claims about the witnesses who have testified against Joe Biden, some directly attacking Bobulinski, that Raskin reposted. One such tweet claimed that all of the witnesses who have testified against Biden have turned out to be “a Chinese spy, a Russian spy, and none of them has laid a glove on Joe Biden because he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Another tweet shared by Raskin described Bobulinski as “a disgruntled Wannabe-Business Partner Turned Trump World Hype Man.” Others cite a statements by Raskin calling Bobulinski “a bitterly frustrated would-be business partner who collaborated with the Trump campaign” and “Donald Trump’s political pawn,” neither of which is true.
“You are not entitled to any immunity for your defamatory statements,” Bobulinski’s legal team warned Raskin. “The Speech and Debate Clause comes from Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, and it includes, in relevant part: ‘for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.'”
Related: Tony Bobulinski’s Epic Burn of Jamie Raskin Had Me on the Floor
According to the lawsuit, Raskin “deliberately and maliciously made these statements, outside the scope of his employment, in an attempt to discredit Mr. Bobulinski’s testimony and to besmirch Mr. Bobulinski’s character.”
“It was a mistake for [Raskin] to believe he was cloaked with immunity for his defamatory statements,” they added.
The lawsuit seeks a total of $20 million in damages from Rep. Raskin.
Last month, when Bobulinski testified before Congress, Raskin infamously interrupted Bobulinski’s opening statement when Bobulinski called him and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) out for lying.
“Representatives Dan Goldman and Jamie Raskin—both lawyers—and Mr. Goldman, a former prosecutor with the [Southern District of New York], will continue to lie today in this hearing and then go straight to the media to tell more lies,” Bobulinski said during the hearing. “Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, weaponizes letters to Congress to try to smear my name—”
That’s when Raskin interrupted Bobulinski’s opening statement multiple times to throw a hissy fit at Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
“Am I supposed to say ‘it’s my time,’ Mr. Raskin?” Bobulinski asked, prompting laughter from the gallery.
Bobulinski has previously filed defamation lawsuits against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Fox News host Jessica Tarlov.