WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Wednesday filed criminal charges against President Joe Biden’s son and brother, accusing them of making false statements to Congress as part of the GOP’s years-long election fraud campaign. Impeachment Inquiry.
Republican leaders of the House Oversight and Accountability, Judiciary and Ways and Means committees sent a letter to the Department of Justice recommending the indictment of Hunter Biden and James Biden, accusing them of making a “conscious effort” to obstruct the House investigation.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abe Lowell, said in a statement that the introduction was “nothing more than a desperate attempt by Republicans to distort Hunter’s testimony, distract from their failed impeachment inquiry, and interfere with his trial.”
James Biden ‘s lawyer, Paul Fishman, echoed this, calling it a “baseless, partisan action” and reiterating that his client “has always maintained that Joe Biden had no involvement in any of his business dealings.”
The referral to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Special Counsel David Weiss adds to the legal challenges facing Hunter Biden, who is currently on trial. In federal court in Delaware He is facing three felony charges stemming from a gun purchase in October 2018. Prosecutors accuse the 54-year-old of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, falsely representing himself as a drug user on an application, and illegally possessing a gun for 11 days.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans are pursuing a wide-ranging investigation of Hunter Biden that is separate from the federal case and is trying to tie the Democratic president to his son’s business dealings. Hunter and James Biden met with lawmakers for hours, even though they have found no evidence directly implicating Joe Biden in any wrongdoing.
Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the IRS whistleblower testimony shows that Hunter Biden lied to Congress at least three times in his Feb. 28 affidavit.
“I think the Department of Justice needs to look into this and act accordingly. Lying to Congress is a serious violation of the law. It’s a felony,” said Smith, a Missouri Republican. “The president’s son should not be treated any differently than any other American.”
The Justice Department, which has the final say on whether to file criminal charges, declined to comment.
The spotlight on the Biden family as a result of Hunter Biden’s federal trial and impeachment inquiry has become politically and personally costly for the president. Here’s how the proceedings are unfolding: 2024 White House Election Looms, and Joe Biden’s allies worry about the damage it would do to him. He is deeply concerned about his only surviving son’s health and his continued sobriety.
Since former President Donald Trump’s conviction in New York, Republican leaders have accused the Justice Department of targeting conservatives with a “two-tiered” justice system. They have downplayed the fact that the department is currently prosecuting Hunter Biden and that other prominent Democrats are facing federal investigations under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said Wednesday that if Garland “want to prove that we are not operating a dual justice system and targeting the president’s political opponents, he will open a criminal investigation into James Biden and Hunter Biden under the false statement and perjury statutes.”
The House committee chairmen said the false statements at issue included references to Hunter Biden’s position at a company that received millions of dollars from foreign clients. The Republican investigation said the president’s son also “completely misrepresented” text messages with a Chinese business partner in which Hunter Biden allegedly used his father’s presence as part of a negotiating tactic.
Attention has also been focused on comments made by President James Biden about whether he met with a former business partner of the Biden family while he was a private citizen.
House Democrats said Republicans are relying on criminal charges because impeachment efforts have effectively failed despite a 17-month investigation into the Biden family.
“This painful, lengthy and entirely fruitless investigation has only established that President Biden has no involvement in or benefit from his family’s business ventures, nor has he taken any official action to benefit his family,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Oversight committee’s top Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday.
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Associated Press writers Kevin Freaking, Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
