(The Center Square) – House Oversight Republicans ratcheted up their investigation into Hunter Biden Thursday, calling on the president’s son and his associates to hand over documents that allegedly show illicit business dealings.
The committee demanded Hunter Biden, James Biden, and Eric Schwerin hand over documents concerning their foreign dealings. Critics allege Hunter used his father’s political clout to secure overseas deals that could have compromised the president.
“The American people deserve transparency and accountability about the Biden family’s influence peddling,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the oversight committee. “The Oversight Committee is committed to exposing the waste, fraud, and abuse that has taken place at the highest levels of our government.”
The committee is particularly interested in finding out to what extent President Joe Biden was involved in the dealings, or at least what he was aware of, arguing that if foreign entities know of any wrongdoing, it could compromise national security.
Oversight Republicans vowed after taking a majority in November to make this investigation one of their top concerns.
Hunter is currently under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Evidence obtained in our investigation reveals the Biden family business model is built on Joe Biden’s political career and connections,” Comer said. “Biden family members attempted to sell access around the world, including individuals who were connected to the Chinese Communist Party, to enrich themselves to the detriment of American interests. If President Biden is compromised by deals with foreign adversaries and they are impacting his decision making, this is a threat to national security.”
The Hunter investigation has many legal avenues and opportunities for prosecution aside from foreign entanglements, including potential tax violations and false statements to federal law enforcement. Politically, Hunter’s investigation further complicates Biden’s 2024 aspirations, especially now that the president faces his own investigation over a trove of classified documents found in his possession from his time in the Obama administration.
Hunter has until Feb. 22 to respond to the committee’s letter. The committee is considering new ethics laws to explicitly prohibit certain elements of Hunter’s behavior.
“Evidence shows that you engaged in foreign business deals with individuals who were connected to the Chinese Communist Party and received significant amounts of money from foreign companies without providing any known legitimate services,” the committee’s letter to Hunter said. “The Committee is investigating President Biden’s knowledge of and role in these foreign business deals to assess whether he has compromised our national security at the expense of the American people. You and your associates’ financial conduct raises significant ethics and national security concerns.”
