The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, along with the Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees, issued criminal referrals for Hunter Biden and James Biden on Wednesday afternoon. Spearheaded by Chairmen James Comer (R-KY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Jason Smith (R-MO), the referral charges the President’s son and brother with making false statements to Congress, an offense that escalates the scrutiny of the Biden family’s alleged influence peddling activities.
“Our investigation has revealed President Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden name around the world,” said Rep. Comer. “Despite this record of evidence, President Biden continues to lie to the American people about his involvement in these influence peddling schemes. It appears making false statements runs in the Biden family.”
The accusations focus on purported lies told to Congress by Hunter and James Biden intended to conceal Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s international influence schemes, which reportedly generated millions of dollars. According to Chairman Jordan, “Lying to Congress is a serious crime with serious consequences. Both Hunter and James Biden did just that to cover up President Biden’s involvement.”
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
We Are Referring Hunter and James Biden for Criminal Prosecution
Our Committee, along with @JudiciaryGOP and @WaysandMeansGOP, today sent criminal referrals to the DOJ recommending Hunter and James Biden be charged with making false statements to Congress about… pic.twitter.com/gWM7S8grQm
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) June 5, 2024
Republican members of Congress have argued that Joe Biden, while Vice President under President Obama, used his position to influence foreign affairs in favor of his son’s business interests, particularly in Ukraine. Hunter Biden’s business activities in Ukraine, where he was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, have been at the core of the allegations.
Republicans have pointed to a video of Joe Biden discussing how he pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, who was investigating corruption, including matters related to Burisma, by threatening to withhold U.S. loan guarantees. Biden and his supporters argue that his actions were in line with official U.S. policy and supported by other international institutions.
However, the Oversight Committee’s findings suggest that the Biden family and their associates accumulated over $45 million through international dealings, which allegedly included interactions with foreign entities and individuals closely connected to then-Vice President Biden. Notably, the Committees discovered about $8 million in unreimbursed loans to Hunter and James Biden, further complicating the narrative of legitimate business dealings.
“President Biden claims no one is above the law. We will soon see his Department of Justice put that principle to the test,” said Rep. Smith. He warned of a potential double standard in justice that could undermine public trust. “If the Department of Justice fails to act on our criminal referral and hold Hunter Biden accountable, they will once again be telling the American people there are two tiers of justice in this country. One for the wealthy and politically connected, and one for everyone else.”
The referrals are backed by claims of misleading testimony and contradictions in statements made by the Bidens. For example, during his deposition, Hunter denied holding a position at Rosemont Seneca Bohai, despite documents later proving otherwise. He also provided a misleading narrative about threatening text messages sent to a Chinese business partner, which, according to new evidence, were indeed directed at the individual he had originally denied targeting.
Similarly, James Biden is accused of falsely stating that Joe Biden did not meet with Tony Bobulinski, a business associate, in 2017. The claim is directly contradicted by testimony and text messages brought forward by Bobulinski, painting a troubling picture of deception.