The impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden is gaining momentum as more evidence comes out to back allegations that the president himself financially benefited from the overseas business dealings of his son, Hunter.
While Republicans will find it very difficult to get the needed supermajority to impeach Biden, the mounting evidence and media coverage would be another obstacle for Biden to overcome as he campaigns for reelection.
The House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has filed a flurry of subpoenas in the investigation of Biden family members and associates this month, starting with Hunter Biden, the president’s son, James Biden, the president’s brother, and their business associate Bob Walker.
Comer then sent subpoenas for Hunter Biden’s business associates, Mervyn Yan and Eric Schwerin, as well as his gallerist, George Bergès, and art patron, Elizabeth Naftali.
As The Center Square previously reported, Hunter Biden’s art business has come under scrutiny as critics argue his expensive works were used to hide and funnel funds.
Comer has also sent a subpoena to former White House Counsel Dana Remus, raising concerns about Biden’s handling and retention of classified documents. Federal law enforcement found classified documents in Biden’s garage and his office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C. from his time as Vice President.
Notably, former President Donald Trump faces criminal charges for the same offense. Biden has not yet been charged.
In the Remus subpoena, Comer is planning a deposition to find out more about Biden’s handling of classified documents and if there is any connection to those documents and the countries involved in his family’s overseas business dealings.
Notably, reporting has suggested some of the classified documents may have been related to Ukraine, a country that allegedly funneled millions of dollars to the Biden family.
“Facts continue to emerge showing that the White House’s narrative of President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents doesn’t add up,” Comer said in a statement. “It is imperative to learn whether President Biden retained sensitive documents related to any countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings that brought in millions for the Biden family. The Oversight Committee looks forward to hearing directly from Dana Remus and other central figures to further our investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and determine whether our national security has been compromised.”
The committee has released evidence that the Biden family and associates received more than $24 million from entities in China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Kazakhstan. Comer says that money was shuffled between shell companies to hide its origin and destination.
Comer has also released copies of two checks for a total of $240,000 from family members made out to the president. The memo says “loan repayment,” but Comer argues these payments are evidence of kickbacks going to the president as Hunter and associates used the president’s political clout to secure deals worldwide.
President Biden has repeatedly dismissed the idea that he personally benefited from any overseas deals.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched the impeachment inquiry earlier this year, putting Comer, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Chair of the Judiciary Committee as well as Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who leads the Ways and Means Committee, at the helm of the impeachment inquiry.
Comer, Jordan and Smith sent a letter last week to Hollywood lawyer and Democrat donor Kevin Morris requesting a transcribed interview. They pointed to media reports that Morris lent millions to Hunter Biden.
“Instead of investigating his loans as a potential campaign finance violation, the Justice Department, revealed in documents released by the Ways and Means Committee, said they had no interest in doing so, with one DOJ prosecutor saying they were not ‘personally interested’ in following the facts,” Smith said in a statement. “It’s time that Americans learn the truth about Kevin Morris’s monetary contributions to the Biden family business dealings.”
Comer, though, has largely spearheaded the investigation, releasing a series of documentation and evidence, including bank records and testimony from IRS whistleblowers who testified that the Biden administration interfered into their investigation into Hunter Biden.
Comer also requested transcribed interviews last week with four former White House employees: Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Katharine Reilly, and Ashley Williams.
“The Oversight Committee has conducted transcribed interviews in connection with this matter, including with individuals who worked at Penn Biden Center, one of whom was present at Penn Biden Center on November 2, 2022—the day that, according to the President’s personal attorney, classified materials were first “unexpectedly discovered,’” Comer said in a letter to Williams. “The Committees are now aware that, in addition to Ms. Kathy Chung (a Department of Defense employee), at least five White House employees accessed Penn Biden Center prior to the “discovery” of classified materials on November 2 and accessed boxes stored therein—including yourself on October 12, 2022, with President Biden’s personal attorney, Patrick Moore, and again, the next day, on October 13, 2022.”
