House Republicans sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department Wednesday recommending President Joe Biden's brother, James, and son, Hunter, be charged with making false statements to Congress related to the Democratic president's impeachment inquiry.
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Special Counsel David Weiss, the GOP chairmen of the House Oversight and Accountability, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees — respectively, Kentucky Rep. James Comer, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, and Missouri Rep. Jason Smith — claimed the relatives lied about "key aspects" of the inquiry in "a conscious effort to hinder the investigation's focus" on the president.
The chairmen say those alleged lies implicate President Biden's "knowledge of and role in his family's influence peddling schemes."
"President Biden claims no one is above the law. We will soon see his Department of Justice put that principle to the test," Smith said. "Congress cannot allow anyone, not even the president's son or his brother, to stand in the way of its oversight of the executive branch or deny the American people the accountability they deserve."
The president has denied any wrongdoing, and in the months since they began pursuing the inquiry, GOP lawmakers have yet to show evidence implicating his involvement in his family's business dealings.
Hunter Biden has also called the inquiry a "baseless and destructive political charade," saying he didn't involve his father in his business.
"Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never," he said in a closed-door hearing at the House in February.
James Biden also testified in February that he didn't involve his brother in his business.
Political Scandals
Hunter Biden's history of drug use on display during federal gun trial
The move comes as Hunter Biden is currently facing trial in Delaware federal court on felony firearm charges for allegedly buying a gun while lying about being a drug addict in 2018. It also comes just days after former President Donald Trump became a convicted felon in a hush money case that Republicans say was politically motivated, though there has been no evidence to prove their claim.
In their letter to Garland and Weiss, the GOP chairmen say the evidence for the criminal referrals against Hunter and James Biden include that the former lied about holding a position at Rosemont Seneca Bohai LLC, a corporate entity that the three representatives say received millions of dollars from foreign clients while Vice President Biden was in office.
They also say Hunter Biden "relayed an entirely fictitious account" about text messages he sent his Chinese business partner while allegedly saying his father was with him as a means of a threat. The letter alleges the Chinese business partners wired millions of dollars to the president's son's company after his "threat," and that a portion of the funds were traced to the president's bank account.
As for James Biden, the GOP investigation centers on his statement that the president didn't meet with his and Hunter Biden's business associate in 2017.
