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House Republicans on Wednesday issued subpoenas demanding testimony from Hunter and James Biden, the president’s son and brother, as they seek evidence to try to build an impeachment case against him.
Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the Oversight Committee, authorized the subpoenas of President Biden’s family members, as well as Rob Walker, one of his business partners. It was the most significant move in the impeachment inquiry since Republicans announced they would open it in September, even though there was no evidence the president had committed any serious crimes or misdemeanors.
Republicans have worked hard for months to try to find support for their accusations that Biden corruptly benefited from his relatives’ overseas businesses and accepted bribes. But to date, they have been unable to present evidence to support her boldest claims.
The subpoenas require James Biden to appear for a deposition on December 6 and Hunter Biden to appear a week later. Mr. Walker was summoned to appear on November 29.
In a statement announcing the subpoenas Wednesday, Comer accused the president of benefiting from an “influence peddling scheme” and telling lies about “his family’s business plans.”
The Biden administration quickly dismissed the subpoenas, calling the Republican investigation a “futile quest” whose sole purpose is to harm the president with innuendo ahead of the 2024 election.
“Instead of using the power of Congress to wage a partisan political smear campaign against the president and his family, extreme House Republicans should do their job,” said White House spokesman Ian Sams.
Mr. Comer has already issued subpoenas for bank records from James and Hunter Biden, as well as their associates, and obtained more than 14,000 pages of documents.
As a result of those subpoenas, Republicans obtained and later released copies of two checks showing payments from James Biden and his wife, Sara Biden, to Joseph R. Biden Jr. totaling $240,000. Comer described one of the checks as explosive new evidence that James Biden and President Biden “laundered money from China.” But a lawyer for James Biden called Comer’s accusation “absurd and highly misleading” and noted that the checks were to reimburse Joe Biden for two personal loans he made to his brother while he was out of office.
“In July 2017, Jim Biden borrowed $40,000 from his brother. Five weeks later, he repaid that loan,” said Paul J. Fishman, a lawyer for James Biden. “These transactions are fully reflected in the bank records that the committee has had for weeks. At no time did Jim involve his brother in his business relationships.”
Also on Wednesday, Comer demanded that other members of the Biden family submit to transcribed interviews. He sent letters requesting interviews with Sara Biden; Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, the president’s eldest son; Elizabeth Secundy, sister of Hallie Biden; Melissa Cohen, married to Hunter Biden; and Tony Bobulinski, a former Hunter Biden associate who accused the Bidens of wrongdoing.
Before Comer issued the subpoenas on Wednesday, Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, sent a fiery letter to President Mike Johnson imploring him to back off the impeachment inquiry.
Lowell called on Johnson “to be a different speaker, one who will restore the integrity and reputation of his chamber.” He also demanded that Johnson stop Comer and other Republican investigators from “continuing their partisan political games.”
Former President Kevin McCarthy, under growing political pressure from the right wing of his conference, unilaterally ordered the impeachment inquiry into Biden after initially resisting taking that step because he lacked the votes to win approval of the measure in the House. of Representatives, given the resistance. among some traditional Republicans.
Johnson is seen as a more enthusiastic supporter of research. In July, he called the Bidens “hopelessly corrupt” and said they had “apparently engaged in a long pattern of extortion, bribery, influence peddling, tax fraud and staggering abuses of power.”
Since becoming president, Johnson has adopted a more neutral tone, telling reporters: “We have to follow due process and we have to respect the law.”