Current:Home > InvestJames Biden, Joe Biden's brother, tells lawmakers the president had no involvement in family's business dealings-InfoLens
James Biden, Joe Biden's brother, tells lawmakers the president had no involvement in family's business dealings
View Date:2024-12-23 17:03:06
Washington — President Biden "never had any involvement" in the business dealings of other members of his family, his brother James Biden testified Wednesday as he appeared for a voluntary private interview on Capitol Hill as part of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry.
"I have had a 50-year career in a variety of business ventures. Joe Biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities," the president's younger brother said in a 10-page opening statement to lawmakers obtained by CBS News. "None."
The interview with James Biden is the latest in a series that GOP lawmakers have conducted recently as they seek to rebuild momentum for an impeachment process surrounding the Biden family's overseas finances that has stalled in recent months.
Criticism over the lack of evidence directly related to the president has grown among those in the Republican Party who have thrown cold water on allegations that Mr. Biden was directly involved in his family members' supposed efforts to leverage the last name into corporate paydays domestically and abroad. The GOP investigation was undercut again last week when an FBI informant who claimed there was a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the president, his son Hunter, and a Ukrainian energy company was charged with fabricating the story.
The informant's claims had been central to the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, with investigators even making mention of the unsubstantiated claim in letters to prospective witnesses. An attorney for Hunter Biden, who is expected to give a deposition next week, said the charges show the probe is "based on dishonest, uncredible allegations and witnesses."
Both James and Hunter Biden were subpoenaed by the committee in November. Lawyers for James Biden have said that there was no justification for the subpoena because the committee had already reviewed private bank records and transactions between the two brothers. The committee found records of two loans that were made when President Biden was not in office or a candidate for president.
The impeachment inquiry, which began in September under the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, has included the recent depositions of several former Biden family associates. In nearly every one of those interviews, the witnesses have stated that they have seen no evidence that President Biden was directly involved in his son or brother's business ventures.
Nonetheless, Republicans, led by the Oversight chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, have said they are pushing ahead with an inquiry that could result in impeachment charges against the president, the ultimate penalty for what the Constitution describes as "high crimes and misdemeanors."
There had been private discussions about bringing articles of impeachment against Mr. Biden to the House floor for a vote in February but those conversations have stalled as support for the effort has waned among the majority. House Republicans instead shifted their focus in the new year to holding Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accountable for his handling of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Last week, the razor-thin GOP majority barely managed to impeach Mayorkas, reflecting political desperation as Republicans struggle to make good on the priorities they campaigned on.
The attention is now expected to shift back to the impeachment of Mr. Biden as Republicans look to detract attention from the various legal challenges plaguing former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for reelection in November.
House Democrats have remained united against the monthslong impeachment effort and have called on Republicans to end what they call a "sham process." Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said that James Biden is the latest example of Republicans playing political games with no sign of tangible evidence that would rise to the level of impeaching a president.
"We obviously again have heard nothing indicating that Joe Biden had anything to do with business ventures of Hunter Biden, or James Biden, and nothing has contradicted that basic understanding we've had for many, many months now," Raskin told reporters when the interview broke for lunch.
But Republicans have pushed back on the Biden family's defense, saying the evidence they have gathered since early last year paints a troubling picture of "influence peddling" in the family's business dealings, particularly with international clients.
"With my appearance here today, the committees will have the information to conclude that the negative and destructive assumptions about me and my relationship with my brother Joe are wrong," James Biden said in his statement. "There is no basis for this inquiry to continue."
- In:
- Mexico
- Joe Biden
- Politics
- Impeachment
- Crime
veryGood! (2344)
Related
- Harriet Tubman posthumously honored as general in Veterans Day ceremony: 'Long overdue'
- At DNC, Gabrielle Giffords joins survivors of gun violence and families of those killed in shootings
- Weeks after blistering Georgia’s GOP governor, Donald Trump warms to Brian Kemp
- French actor Gerard Depardieu should face trial over rape allegations, prosecutors say
- Bowl projections: SEC teams joins College Football Playoff field
- Superyacht maker's CEO: Bayesian's crew made an 'incredible mistake'
- Best fantasy football value picks? Start with Broncos RB Javonte Williams
- Bears’ Douglas Coleman III immobilized, taken from field on stretcher after tackle against Chiefs
- Wind-whipped wildfire near Reno prompts evacuations but rain begins falling as crews arrive
- Southern Arizona man sought for alleged threats against Trump as candidate visits border
Ranking
- When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
- Atlantic City casino earnings declined by 1.3% in 2nd quarter of 2024
- National Public Data confirms massive data breach included Social Security numbers
- 'Megalopolis' trailer sparks controversy with fabricated quotes from film critics
- Gerry Faust, the former head football coach at Notre Dame, has died at 89
- Justice Department accuses RealPage of violating antitrust laws through scheme to hike rents
- Southern Arizona man sought for alleged threats against Trump as candidate visits border
- The clothing we discard is a problem. How do we fix that? | The Excerpt
Recommendation
-
Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
-
US Postal Service to discuss proposed changes that would save $3 billion per year, starting in 2025
-
Why Do Efforts To Impose Higher Taxes On Empty Homes In Honolulu Keep Stalling?
-
Convicted drug dealer whose sentence was commuted by Trump charged with domestic violence
-
Judge hears case over Montana rule blocking trans residents from changing sex on birth certificate
-
Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry Engaged to Elijah Scott After Welcoming Twins
-
Jessica Alba Shares Heartwarming Insight Into Family Life With Her and Cash Warren’s 3 Kids
-
Lady Gaga debuts French bulldog puppy 3 years after dognapping