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House Republicans released a nearly 300-page report as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Let’s bring you up to speed: House Republicans, led by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and formalized under new Speaker Mike Johnson, launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The investigation centers on allegations that the Biden family, especially Hunter Biden, used Joe Biden’s political influence as Vice President for corrupt business dealings. Republicans claim the Biden family received millions from foreign entities, including Russia and China, by exploiting their connections. The inquiry sought to determine if these actions constitute abuse of power and obstruction of justice, potentially justifying impeachment.
What Republicans found: The investigation by House Republicans revealed that the Biden family and its associates allegedly received approximately $27 million in business payments from foreign entities, including those in Russia and China. The report claims that these payments were secured by leveraging Joe Biden’s political influence during his time as Vice President. Additionally, it uncovered that the Biden family allegedly obtained over $8 million in loans from Democratic supporters, which remain unpaid.
Transactions related to in Ukraine
Transactions related to business in China
Transactions related to business in Russia, Romania, Panama, & Kazakhstan
Digging Deeper: The investigation highlighted multiple instances where Hunter Biden allegedly involved his father, Joe Biden, in business dealings, primarily through phone calls and casual dinner meetings. According to the report, during these occasions, Hunter Biden is said to have put his father on speakerphone while conducting business with foreign associates, allowing them to exchange pleasantries with the then-Vice President. Republicans portrayed these interactions as attempts by Hunter Biden to leverage his father’s political standing to secure business deals. Despite these claims, investigators admitted they did not produce direct evidence that President Biden was actively involved in or had knowledge of the specifics of these business transactions, though they blame the White House for obstructing their investigation. The report also suggests that it is “inconceivable” that President Biden was unaware of his son’s activities. Yet, it stops short of proving any criminal wrongdoing or direct involvement on the part of the President.
Obstruction by the DOJ?: The investigation also raised claims of obstruction by the Justice Department about the probe into Hunter Biden’s business dealings. House Republicans accused the Justice Department of “slow-walking” investigative steps and delaying enforcement actions that could have benefitted Hunter Biden, alleging that this was done to protect President Biden and his family.
Closing arguments in the report: In the report, they concluded that President Biden “has exhibited conduct and taken actions that the Founders sought to guard against in drafting the impeachment provisions in the Constitution: abuse of power, foreign entanglements, corruption, and obstruction of investigations into these matters. The Committees investigative work has revealed that the Biden family—with the full knowledge and cooperation of President Biden—has engaged in a global influence peddling racket from which they made millions of dollars. The Biden family’s influence peddling was vast and involved entities and individuals from some of America’s greatest adversaries, such as China and Russia. Clearly aware of the political risks associated with Joe Biden’s participation in this scheme, the Biden family and their business associates sought to conceal his involvement by funneling money through an extensive network of shell or third parties’ companies, using code names, and engaging in other obfuscatory tactics designed to maintain, as James Biden described, “plausible deniability.”
White House responds: In a statement Sharon Yang, a spokeswoman for the White House said, “House Republicans have finally given up on their wild goose chase. This failed stunt will only be remembered for how it became an embarrassment that their own members distanced themselves from as they only managed to turn up evidence that refuted their false and baseless conspiracy theories.”
