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After four months of investigation, House Republicans who vowed to use their new majority to uncover evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden acknowledged Wednesday that they had yet to uncover incriminating material about him, despite their frequent insinuations that he and his family have been involved in it. criminal conduct and corruption.<\/p>\n
In a highly publicized news conference on Capitol Hill to show preliminary findings of their main investigation into Mr. Biden and his family, top Republicans released financial documents detailing how some of the president’s relatives received more than $10 million of dollars from foreign sources between 2015 and 2017.<\/p>\n
Republicans described the transactions as evidence of “influence peddling” by Mr. Biden’s family, including his son Hunter Biden, and referred to some previously known, if unflattering, details of the relationships commercials of the younger Mr. Biden. These include an episode where he accepted a 2.8-carat diamond from a Chinese businessman. GOP lawmakers also produced material suggesting that President Biden and his allies had at times made misleading statements in their efforts to aggressively push back against allegations of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden.<\/p>\n
But on Wednesday, Republicans admitted they had yet to find evidence of a specific corrupt action that Mr. Biden took office in relation to any of the trade deals his son signed. Instead, his presentation underscored how little progress has been made by top GOP lawmakers to find clear evidence of questionable transactions that may tie Mr. Biden, his main political rival.<\/p>\n
It has not prevented them from accusing the president of serious wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
“I want to be clear: This committee is investigating the shady dealings of President Biden and his family to take advantage of Joe Biden’s public office that puts our country’s national security at risk,” said Representative James R. Comer, R-D. Kentucky and Chairman of the Oversight. committee He stressed that the president, not just his son, would be the target of his investigation, which he said would now “enter a new phase,” in which he would cite specific financial information based on material learned through bank records. .<\/p>\n
Federal prosecutors have been looking into Hunter Biden’s international business activities as part of a criminal investigation. But the only charges they are considering, according to people familiar with the case, are unrelated to his work abroad. They include tax charges related to failing to file his tax returns for several years and a charge of lying about his drug use on a federal form he filled out to buy a gun.<\/p>\n
So far, the committee of Mr. Comer has issued four bank subpoenas, obtained thousands of financial records and spoken to several people he describes as whistleblowers. Mr. Comer has also hired James Mandolfo, a former federal prosecutor who has experience investigating foreign corruption, to oversee the probe.<\/p>\n
Here’s what we know so far.<\/p>\n
The House Oversight Committee report focused on payments made to companies linked to Hunter Biden by companies and individuals in Romania and China. Bank records obtained by the committee show the receipt of money from a foreign company linked to Gabriel Popoviciu, who was the subject of a criminal investigation and prosecution for corruption in Romania.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Mr. Popoviciu hired Hunter Biden, who is a lawyer while his father was vice president, to help him try to defend the charges. This effort was unsuccessful, and in 2016, Mr. Popoviciu was convicted on charges related to a land deal north of Bucharest, the Romanian capital.<\/p>\n
Mr. Comer has also focused on John R. Walker, an associate of Hunter Biden who was involved in a joint venture with executives from CEFC China Energy, a now-bankrupt Chinese conglomerate.<\/p>\n
A Shanghai-based company, State Energy HK Limited, which was affiliated with CEFC China Energy sent millions to Robinson Walker LLC, a company associated with Mr. Walker, who then made payments. to Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hunter Biden had cultivated a business relationship with Ye Jianming, the founder of CEFC, who has been investigated by Chinese authorities on suspicion of financial crimes. In 2017, Mr. Ye gave Hunter Biden a 2.8-carat diamond as a thank you for a meeting.<\/p>\n