Talk:James Comer

Native of Tompkinsville?

The Early Life and Education section states that "Comer is a native of Tompkinsville, Kentucky," even though the Personal Details section indicates that he was born in Carthage, TN - which appears plainly contradictory. There is not a wealth of data on The Interwebs on Comer's early life, though it seems he spent his formative years in Tompkinsville, graduating from HS there. Perhaps his family moved from Carthage when he was just a wee lad? Nonetheless, I'd say that "native of Tompkinsville" is simply inaccurate. Anyone have thoughts and/or greater knowledge of his early youth, such as when his family moved to Monroe County, KY? The source cited simply does not substantiate a claim of "native of Tompkinsville," indicating only that he graduated from Monroe County High School in Tompkinsville in 1990. Huskerdru (talk) 00:16, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Political bias.

The last sentence in the opening is politically motivated. Comer had stated the documents are a matter for the national Archives. Trump’s residence has been raided security film and photos of documents on the floor taken and the First Lady’s closet searched. Trump is being investigated and charged. Where as Biden’s documents taken while VP, which he COULD NOT declassify is being handled by his attorney who does not have security clearance. WIKIPEDIA should not give the appearance of bias by allowing half truths 64.57.168.91 (talk) 14:46, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

While this politician is clearly a controversial figure, the introductory paragraphs in this article are definitely of dubious neutrality. This article is blythely laughable, and brings wikipedia into disrepute. A couple of sentences that demonstrate this:

The first set of sentences are sentences number 2 and 3 in the introductory paragraph.

- "As the chair of the Oversight committee from 2023, Comer has declined or stopped investigations into former President Donald Trump."

- "Comer is currently leading an investigation into the Biden family. Despite his claims of having uncovered 'a mountain of evidence,' he and his republican colleagues have failed to produce any concrete proof to support their allegations."

It is difficult to find a precedent in wikipedia, where the introduction is so transparent. The introduction focuses on specific people and policy stances that he has taken, on clearly partisan issues, (is clearly designed to influence thinking) and provides no insight into the congressman's political positions, goals or initiative. It does not even bother to mention his political party. Reading this introduction, one can't help but believe that a political staffer of opposing views wrote the article.

There is absolutely no mention of his earlier offices; Kentucky House of Representatives, Agriculture Commissioner.

This article needs objective revision. Steve.A.Dore.4 (talk) 05:26, 1 December 2023 (UTC)

Butt-->Hurt 97.115.135.104 (talk) 01:46, 9 December 2023 (UTC)

This article continues to be plagued by significant biases. Steve.A.Dore.4 (talk) 06:34, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

purple heart Islam Abad bombing 2020

why hasnt our soldiers recieved there due honors. why is ky. lacking in taking care of our wounded warriors.. this an utter disgrace to all who have and are serving our country. 2600:1700:7462:D1C0:65C3:F127:57BC:F05A (talk) 22:59, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

Need to resolve ambiguity, conflicting statements under Tenure section vs. introduction

Perhaps could add that investigations are ongoing but no new evidence of illegality has been uncovered. 98.225.117.250 (talk) 18:24, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

College education

you state that comer received a B.S. degree from western ky University in 1993. His official website from the House of Representatives says he only attended western ky University. Have you verified that he actually graduated and received a degree? Ladybug5148 (talk) 13:03, 17 July 2024 (UTC)

As it stands, this is the exact text of Comer's official congressional bio: "Comer grew up in Monroe County and attended Western Kentucky University to study agriculture." This does not claim a degree, but may be intentionally ambiguous to suggest a degree with a major in agriculture. This text or a similarly ambiguous statement by Comer may be the basis for the wording in the article from the WKU NPR affiliate that is currently provided as a source to show that Comer holds a B.S. in agriculture.

Comer's name is not contained in the 1993 commencement program (which appears to have been noted by a previous editor in comments on the history page), and I can't find anyone else from his hometown in the program either. Worth further digging. Ihpkt (talk) 00:18, 31 December 2024 (UTC)

Relevant quote from the WKYU article: "He graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1993 with a degree in agriculture."

The 1993 commencement program also introduces the list of graduates with this disclaimer: "The following list of candidates for graduation was prepared before final grades were reported and inclusion herein does not constitute evidence of graduation. The listing of a name in this program should not be construed as an indication that the person will in fact receive a degree from Western Kentucky University at this commencement. Conversely, the absence of a student's name from this list does not necessarily mean that the person will not be awarded a degree. The students whose names appear below made formal application for graduation by the date specified in the Academic Calendar." Ihpkt (talk) 00:25, 31 December 2024 (UTC)

Lastly, this is from his campaign website, content for which he would be ultimately responsible rather than a journalist, where he represents himself as a graduate: "Comer grew up in rural Monroe County and later attended Western Kentucky University to study his lifelong passion of agriculture. Upon graduation in 1993, Comer entered the business world, taking out a loan to purchase his first farm and dive into his career."

https://jamescomer.com/about/

So whatever the reason for the ambiguity of certain of these statements and for his absence from the commencement of his publicly claimed graduation year, it is reasonable to say he is on the record as having graduated with the B.S. in agriculture in 1993. Perhaps WKU holds another commencement for December graduates, or this is a situation similar to Elon Musk where he had a minor outstanding requirement before the university officially conferred the degree, or perhaps he indeed left without ever completing all degree requirements and has decided to lie about it. But answering this question beyond all doubt would require original research outside the scope of Wikipedia. For now, I am satisfied that the claimed degree is clearly sourced in both reporting and official statements. Ihpkt (talk) 00:35, 31 December 2024 (UTC)

Final update in case this issue re-emerges. My speculation above about the timeline for certifying that all graduation requirements had been met in time for the printing of the May 1993 commencement program that was originally cited led me to seek out the 1994 WKU program to see whether he may have graduated in 1993 but for any set of reasons had the graduation announced the following year, such as if he were a December 1993 graduate and walked the stage with the class of 1994. I found the 1994 program where a "James Richardson Comer" of Tomkinsville, KY is listed as a graduate with a B.S. in agriculture, which settles the matter more firmly. The final remaining question as to the specific cause of the delay to 1994 when Comer maintains that he graduated in 1993 is left to the journalists.

I would submit to fellow editors that hiding his education in the infobox when there are multiple sources clearly establishing that he at least studied there is a rather poor editorial misstep. The correct course would have been to hide, if anything, the B.S. degree, if his actual degree attainment were in question. Other figures on Wikipedia who left without degrees still have the institutions where they studied listed under education in the infobox. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Ihpkt (talk) 02:40, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

Requested move 6 February 2025

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: Moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) Adumbrativus (talk) 01:01, 14 February 2025 (UTC)

---

• James Comer (politician) → James Comer
• James Comer → James Comer (disambiguation)

– WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. There are only 2 articles with the name "James Comer", and this James Comer is almost certainly the one that people search for. Jeffrey34555 (talk) 00:51, 6 February 2025 (UTC)

Support. As a congressman, Comer is far more notable than the other James Comer. Seems pretty straightforward. -Mad Mismagius (talk) 17:03, 12 February 2025 (UTC)

• Support: not a close call in terms of either pageviews or long-term significance, in my view. Extraordinary Writ (talk) 11:42, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Republicans in Congress open probe into Wikipedia for alleged bias

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/27/wikipedia-under-investigation-by-republicans/85855314007/

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5473331-wikipedia-bias-probe-republicans/

• Sbmeirow • Talk • 07:25, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

Autopen usage: Edits then reversions

A recent reversion removed content that appears to be well sourced and relevant to the article. I’d like to open a discussion to build consensus around reinstating this material.

**Summary of the Removed Content:** 23:18, 17 July 2025 PerpetuityGrat talk contribs  63,003 bytes −249  Undid revision 1300910470 by Mahalowallow (talk) Read Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons. undothank Tags: Undo Reverted

Comer expressed his opposition to elected officials' use of an autopen on official documents. However, June 2025 reporting indicates that Comer uses an autopen on official documents himself.

Suggested rewording: Comer has publicly expressed opposition to the use of autopen by elected officials on official documents.[1] However, reporting from June 2025 indicates that Comer himself has used an autopen in official capacities.[2] Jjj3190 (talk) 15:23, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

@Jjj3190: Can you propose a reason why you believe this is worthy on Wikipedia? Please respond to me here and not my talk page. --PerpetuityGrat (talk) 20:33, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

That's a fair question and should be asked. The answer is because it's a documented public contradiction, between his public statements and personal practice. This kind of inconsistency in a politician's behavior can be relevant to readers seeking a fuller understanding of his actions. Jjj3190 (talk) 21:46, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

If you are coming to Wikipedia to make known this one politician's inconsistency, I suggest you go to a forum for that. You are talking about the use of an autopen... if there were more coverage, and if this had some other notable element or was more significant, sure. But this is not even remotely a notable story. Additionally, because something is documented (aka there is a reliable source), does not mean it guarantees inclusion. See why verifiability does not guarantee inclusion. --PerpetuityGrat (talk) 23:21, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

I didn’t write the original content, but I do disagree with its removal. I believe this story is highly relevant—it touches on issues of transparency and the integrity of official documentation, which are central to public trust in government. It’s the kind of contradiction that readers actively seek out, and I personally checked Wikipedia to see if it was covered. Based on the original editor's revision being the starting point for this discussion, there’s currently support for including it. Jjj3190 (talk) 00:19, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

Verifiability does not guarantee inclusion. Trivial (and farcical) topics are not added to WP articles, especially BLPs, otherwise why not include every single contradiction in voting records and other issues of transparency and the integrity of official documentation? --PerpetuityGrat (talk) 01:20, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

Calling this trivial, or farcical, is a serious mischaracterization. We're talking about the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee—one of the most powerful investigative roles in Congress—launching a formal inquiry into the use of autopen by the President, while reportedly using the same tool himself in official capacities. That’s not a minor contradiction; it directly undermines the credibility of the investigation and raises serious questions about consistency, accountability, and public messaging. Omitting this undermines the integrity of the article more than including it ever could.

{{ping|Mahalowallow}} — would appreciate your input on this. Jjj3190 (talk) 02:18, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

If contradiction were so egregious, it would be more widely reported......... This is not notable. --PerpetuityGrat (talk) 02:29, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

It was widely reported, including by MSNBC, The Guardian and The Independent. It is notable. Paditor (talk) 06:38, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

I did not see those sources. I still don't think it's worth noting in the article under WP:VNOT. If consensus is to add the information, I would ask that the contradiction be noted and reflected from the sources. The original edit was just a factoid and in essence said nothing. --PerpetuityGrat (talk) 14:28, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

References