GOP keys on cash given to Biden kin
WASHINGTON — House Republicans released financial records Thursday showing that Hunter Biden and other relatives of President Joe Biden’s received more than $1 million in 2017 from an associate who had entered into a business deal with a Chinese energy company, as they hunted for evidence that the president and his family have profited improperly from his position.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the panel, has effectively ended the inquiry into former President Donald Trump’s finances but has issued a broad subpoena to obtain bank records of associates of the Biden family. It required Bank of America to produce “all financial records” for three Biden business associates from the 14-year period beginning Jan. 20, 2009 — when Biden was sworn in as vice president — to the present.
On Thursday, Comer released a memo he said was based on records received as a result of his subpoena.
Comer has focused in particular on John Walker, an associate of Hunter Biden’s, the president’s son, whose business dealings have come under scrutiny by the Justice Department.
Senate Republicans have for years scrutinized Walker, who was involved in a joint venture with executives of CEFC China Energy, a now-bankrupt Chinese conglomerate. A Shanghai-based company called State Energy HK Limited, which was affiliated with CEFC China Energy, sent millions to Robinson Walker LLC, a company associated with Walker.
Comer said the financial records he obtained show that from 2015-17, Biden family members — including Hunter, the president’s brother James and Biden’s daughter-in-law Hallie — and their companies collectively received $1.3 million from Walker.
The material released by the panel did not show anything illegal or improper.
Comer conceded that he did not know the purposes of the payments or the nature of the business relationships.
“We will continue to follow the money trail and facts to determine if President Biden is compromised by his family’s business schemes and if there is a national security threat, ”Comer said in a statement.
Hunter Biden’s legal team Thursday issued an statement arguing that the House investigation was overly intrusive into the finances of a private citizen and stating that Hunter Biden’s international business transactions were legal. It said Comer had inaccurately characterized the deals.
“Hunter Biden, a private citizen with every right to pursue his own business endeavors, joined several business partners in seeking a joint venture with a privately owned, legitimate energy company in China,” the statement said. “As part of that joint venture, Hunter received his portion of good faith seed funds which he shared with his uncle, James Biden, and Hallie Biden.”
A spokesperson for Democrats on the Oversight Committee said, in particular, information Comer released about Hallie Biden was incorrect.
Walker had transferred money to her the month before any funds were received from the Chinese company, the spokesperson said. Comer’s memorandum said Hallie Biden received the money about three weeks after the Chinese firm had wired funds to Walker.
“Chairman Comer’s memo proved once again that, after four years of investigations by Senate and House Republicans into Hunter Biden, they have found no connection to the president of the United States or indeed any government official at all,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the oversight panel.