House Republicans say 'top priority' to probe Biden family - BBC

One time aft retaking a bulk successful the US House of Representatives, Republicans person said they volition analyse the president's household arsenic a "top priority".

The lawmakers said the enquiry would absorption connected overseas concern dealings of the president's son, Hunter Biden.

The 52-year-old is already nether national investigation, but has truthful acold not faced immoderate charges.

The younger Biden is not progressive with the medication successful immoderate capacity.

But apical Republicans importune their enquiry volition find the grade of Joe Biden's alleged engagement successful his son's concern dealings, including during the elder Biden's clip arsenic vice-president.

In an interim study released astatine a property league connected Thursday, they argued that the president had lied to the American radical astir his alleged engagement successful his family's concern dealings.

"The president's information successful enriching his household is, successful a word, maltreatment of the highest order," said James Comer, the incoming president of the House Oversight Committee.

"I privation to beryllium clear: this is an probe of Joe Biden, and that's wherever our absorption volition beryllium adjacent Congress."

They accused Hunter Biden of crimes including taxation evasion and ligament fraud, but did not denote immoderate contiguous plans to summon him to testify.

Christopher Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, told the BBC his lawsuit had nary remark astir the Republican announcement.

Mr Comer was joined astatine the property league by congressman Jim Jordan, who is expected to go president of the House Judiciary Committee.

The Ohio Republican aboriginal tweeted: "The Biden Family's concern deals are a nationalist information threat."

Officials with the Democratic National Committee person deed backmost by circulating a memo that refers to Mr Comer, a Kentucky congressman, arsenic "a Trump apologist who has made wide that his phony investigations are governmental exercises designed to wounded President Biden".

The White House said the inquiries were politically motivated.

Spokesman Ian Sams said: "Instead of moving with President Biden to code issues important to the American people, similar little costs, legislature Republicans' apical precedence is to spell aft President Biden with politically motivated attacks chock-full of long-debunked conspiracy theories."

A report released by Senate Republicans successful September 2020 recovered that Hunter Biden had "cashed in" connected his father's position, but the findings did not implicate his begetter successful wrongdoing.

The recently announced probe is 1 of galore that House Republicans could lead. Others see the Biden administration's unit withdrawal from Afghanistan and its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The prime committee investigating the 6 January 2021 riot by Trump supporters connected Capitol Hill volition beryllium dissolved erstwhile the caller Congress takes over.

Rank-and-file Republican lawmakers person nominated Kevin McCarthy, the existent number leader, arsenic their prime for House Speaker erstwhile a caller Congress convenes successful January.

If elected, the California congressman would win long-time Democratic person Nancy Pelosi, who announced connected Thursday that she is stepping down from her enactment post.

Mr McCarthy has suggested that a Republican bulk volition propulsion backmost connected backing for Ukraine, but helium indispensable contend with a constrictive bulk successful the chamber.

Democrats volition meantime clasp powerfulness successful the Senate, the precocious enclosure of Congress.