Last week, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) vowed to subpoena the Biden family – possibly even President Joe Biden. The committee has been investigating the foreign business dealings of the president’s family members, and on Wednesday, Comer released a third bank records memorandum detailing new information obtained in the Committee’s investigation into the Biden family and its dealings with foreign entities.
Comer has suggested that the Bidens – including the president’s troubled son Hunter Biden – and their business associates received millions from oligarchs in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine during Joe Biden’s vice presidency.
“During Joe Biden’s vice presidency, Hunter Biden sold him as ‘the brand’ to reap millions from oligarchs in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself. And Hunter Biden seems to have delivered.
This is made clear by meals at Café Milano where then-Vice President Joe Biden dined with oligarchs from around the world who had sent money to his son,” said Chairman Comer via a statement. “It’s clear Joe Biden knew about his son’s business dealings and allowed himself to be ‘the brand’ sold to enrich the Biden family while he was Vice President of the United States. The House Oversight Committee will continue to follow the money trail and obtain witness testimony to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised or corrupt, and our national security is threatened.”
Subpoenas Coming Soon for the Biden Family?
The committee memo noted that to date it has only subpoenaed banks tailored to specific individuals and companies, but has not yet issued subpoenas for bank records for members of the Biden family.
Subpoenas for members of the Biden family would not be imminent, and Comer said on Fox Business on Thursday the committee needs to talk to “about three or four more associates first.”
He added that the committee has been communicating with a couple of those individuals, and the current plan is to “bring them in” just as it did with former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer for a transcribed interview. However, Comer made clear, “If they don’t come in voluntarily, then they’ll be subpoenaed.”
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman also told Fox Business that “this is always going to end with the Bidens coming in front of the committee. We are going to subpoena the family,” and he added, “We know that this is going to end up in court when we subpoena the Bidens. So we’re putting together a case, and I think we’ve done that very well. We’ve shown the bank records.”
Making the Case
The investigation into the Biden family may be moving slower than some GOP lawmakers – and their supporters – would like, but Comer said it was necessary. He also made it clear that putting such a case together needs to come before the subpoenas go out.
President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)
“If I had subpoenaed Joe and Hunter Biden the first day I became chairman of the committee, it would have been tied up in court and the judge would have eventually thrown it out,” the committee chairman explained. “We have put together a case that I think would stand up in any court of law in America.”
Earlier this month in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, Comer explained, “The evidence continues to mount and today we saw Joe Biden has lied to the American people. He knew exactly who his son was getting those millions and millions of dollars of wires from, he spoke to them, and he spoke to them often.”
As previously reported, Comer disclosed earlier this year that three members of the Biden family collectively received $1.3 million through a bank transfer facilitated by a Biden associate from a Chinese energy corporation. The transaction occurred a mere two months following Joe Biden’s departure from the vice-presidential position.
No Actual Proof?
The White House continues to dispute the claims made by Comer.
“Comer and his fellow extreme Republicans in Congress are now admitting they haven’t uncovered any proof of involvement or wrongdoing by President Biden. They simply will continue to spread innuendo and lies as they pursue a baseless impeachment stunt to attack the president,” said Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations.
Sams argued that the memo also fails to show direct payments to President Biden.
“House Republicans can’t prove President Biden did anything wrong, but they are proving every day they have no vision and no agenda to actually help the American people,” Sams said. “For them, it’s all about partisan games and political attacks that serve themselves and get themselves attention on rightwing media – not about taking on the big challenges facing our country.”
Critics of the ongoing investigation into the Biden family’s business dealing have also argued that the memo offers nothing new.
“This stunt from Comer is just more of the same – no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden, no new information to tie him to Hunter Biden’s business, and another desperate attempt to keep this bogus investigation alive,” Kyle Herrig, executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project, told USA Today. “Comer’s fishing expedition continues to reel in nothing in a desperate attempt to distract from Trump.”
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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