House Republicans release probe into Biden family finances
James Comer and House Republicans unveil a report into Biden family financial transactions.
House Republicans have unveiled what they say are records of $10m (£8m) in payments to members of the Biden family from foreign entities.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said Joe Biden’s relatives had used the family name to enrich themselves, and the president was “involved”.
The report itself does not substantiate these claims or implicate Mr Biden. It does not allege illegal conduct.
The White House called the report “baseless innuendo”.
Republican leaders pledged to aggressively investigate Mr Biden, his administration and his family when they took over control of the US House of Representatives in last year’s midterm election.
Mr Comer has faced pressure from within his party to release findings from the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing inquiry into the Biden family.
In January, he said he would investigate “influence peddling” by Mr Biden’s family.
Wednesday’s report is the most detailed accounting yet of what House Republicans say they have uncovered.
The roughly 30-page report detailed what lawmakers say are various companies and financial records tied to family members of Mr Biden, including his son, Hunter Biden, and daughter-in-law, Hallie Biden.
The report contains records of bank transactions, obtained through subpoena, that Republican lawmakers allege are linked to Romania and China.
“We believe that the president has been involved in this from the very beginning. Obviously, we’re going to continue to look,” Mr Comer told reporters Wednesday.
The report does not show payments to Mr Biden.
Neither does it provide explicit evidence to back up the Republican lawmakers’ central claim that Mr Biden’s family sought to enrich itself using the family name, or that these business dealings influenced Mr Biden.
Mr Comer and his colleagues stopped short of alleging illegal activity.
“Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called ‘investigations’ with legitimacy,” White House spokesman Ian Sams told BBC in a statement.
“He has hidden information from the public to selectively leak and promote his own hand-picked narratives as part of his overall effort to lob personal attacks at the President and his family,” Mr Sams added.
Republicans have vowed to aggressively investigate President Biden and his family after congressional Democrats investigated and impeached Donald Trump twice during his presidency.
They wrested control of the US House of Representatives from the Democrats in last year’s midterm election, granting them power over committees and the ability to conduct investigations and oversight of the Biden administration.
Republicans have focused on Mr Biden’s younger son, Hunter Biden, and his foreign business dealings.
Federal prosecutors are currently investigating Hunter Biden over issues with his taxes and a gun purchase. He has been under investigation since 2018.
Hunter Biden has struggled publicly with addiction and has faced scrutiny for his personal business dealings.
The White House maintains his father was not involved in and did not benefit from his work.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65553168?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
