House Republicans vow to investigate Biden and his family's business dealings - CNN

CNN  — 

After clinching the bulk in the House of Representatives successful the midterm elections, apical Republicans connected Thursday outlined a wide scope of investigative targets focused connected President Joe Biden and his family’s concern dealings.

“In the 118th Congress, this committee volition measure the presumption of Joe Biden’s narration with his family’s overseas partners and whether helium is simply a President who is compromised oregon swayed by overseas dollars and influence,” said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the apical Republican connected the House Oversight Committee. “I privation to beryllium clear: This is an probe of Joe Biden, and that’s wherever the committee volition absorption successful this adjacent Congress.”

In a wide-ranging quality league flanked by GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who is expected to go seat of the House Judiciary Committee, and different Republicans connected the oversight committee, Comer said Republicans person made connections betwixt the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and the president that they judge requires further investigation. Comer said his squad has spoken with aggregate whistleblowers who accidental they were progressive successful schemes involving the Biden family, reviewed Hunter Biden’s laptop, and received “previously chartless transactions.”

Comer is specifically zeroing successful connected much than 100 slope enactment reports – known arsenic Suspicious Activity Reports – that are allegedly related to the Biden household and says that the Treasury Department has ignored his repeated requests erstwhile Republicans were successful the number to manus implicit them over.

So far, Comer says helium has lone seen 2 of those reports, and helium renewed his petition for the remainder of them today. Such reports are not ever indicative of transgression enactment oregon wrongdoing.

As portion of his investigation, Comer said, “We would emotion to speech to radical successful the Biden family, specifically Hunter and Joe Biden.”

The White House said the investigations are politically motivated and a discarded of time.

“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 afloat of long-debunked conspiracy theories” spokesmen for the White House Counsel’s office, Ian Sams, said successful a connection to CNN.

“President Biden is not going to fto these governmental attacks distract him from focusing connected Americans’ priorities, and we anticipation legislature Republicans volition articulation america successful tackling them alternatively of wasting clip and resources connected governmental revenge,” Sams added.

A spokeswoman for Democrats connected the House Oversight Committee, Nelly Decker, said the Republicans “rehashed the same, partisan talking points” that person been circulating for years.

“Now that erstwhile President Trump is moving for bureau again, House Republicans’ apical precedence is attacking President Biden and his household successful a hopeless effort to instrumentality Mr. Trump to power,” Decker said successful a statement.

Republicans had small quality to enforce their papers requests portion they were successful the minority. But erstwhile the caller Congress is sworn successful in January, Republicans volition summation subpoena power, a much almighty enforcement mechanics to effort to compel individuals and authorities entities to manus implicit information.

Private attorneys representing Biden household members did not respond to requests for comment.

At the bosom of Comer’s probe is digging into a bid of suspicious enactment reports that Republicans assertion banks person filed related to Hunter Biden’s fiscal activities. In a missive to the Treasury Department connected Thursday, Comer sought immoderate specified reports related to assorted members of the Biden family, their concern associates and companies linked to Hunter Biden.

Comer besides is seeking communications wrong the Treasury Department, its fiscal crimes enforcement part and the White House regarding those household members and related businesses and associates.

While Republicans person seized connected the suspicious enactment reports arsenic grounds that Joe Biden’s lad was progressive successful problematic activities, specified reports are not conclusive and bash not needfully bespeak wrongdoing. Financial institutions record millions of suspicious enactment reports each twelvemonth and fewer pb to instrumentality enforcement inquiries.

Comer sent a missive to a fiscal adviser, who Comer has said was managing Hunter Biden’s finances, seeking immoderate suspicious enactment reports, arsenic good arsenic fiscal accusation astir Hunter Biden. He is besides seeking accusation from 1 of Hunter Biden’s erstwhile concern partners, including communications related to Hunter Biden and Joe Biden’s finances, taxes and debts.

The letters were portion of a caller circular Comer fired disconnected to assorted authorities agencies and individuals Thursday seeking much accusation to further his probe.

He besides asked the National Archives for formation manifests and different documents related to Air Force Two and Marine Two during Biden’s tenure arsenic vice president, arsenic good arsenic communications related to Russia, Ukraine and Hunter Biden during his vice presidency.

From the FBI, he’s seeking immoderate documents related to “foreign quality services’ efforts to compromise the Biden family” and accusation astir Timothy Thibault, a erstwhile FBI cause that Republicans person accused of politicizing investigations. Thibault has denied wrongdoing.

Another missive went to Georges Bergés, the assemblage proprietor who showcased and sold Hunter Biden’s artwork. Among the documents requested were communications with the White House and Hunter Biden, discussions astir the pricing of Hunter Biden’s work, and rosters of those who attended Hunter Biden’s creation shows and purchased his work.

Federal prosecutors person been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018 and person not brought immoderate charges yet. When asked by CNN if they cognize whether the claims presented Thursday person already been investigated by national prosecutors, Jordan said: “We don’t know.”

Jordan besides said that nether his leadership, the House Judiciary Committee volition look into alleged “politicization” astatine the FBI. Jordan and different Republican lawmakers antecedently claimed that they’ve heard from FBI insiders astir anti-conservative bias fueling FBI decision-making, particularly astatine the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

“I’ve been successful Congress a fewer years now, and I’ve ne'er seen thing similar it,” Jordan said. “Fourteen (FBI) agents travel speech to america portion we’re successful the number astir however governmental that spot has become.”

According to Jordan, the alleged politicization mightiness see attempts by the FBI to suppress media sum of the Hunter Biden communicative successful 2020.

Many of these claims person been circulating successful GOP circles during Biden’s medication – with Republicans taking implicit the House adjacent year, they’ll person an authoritative level to analyse these matters and enactment them connected afloat display.

At slightest 1 of the FBI agents that the GOP lawmakers are scrutinizing has antecedently denied immoderate wrongdoing. The “whistleblowers” are anonymous and haven’t testified astatine immoderate nationalist Congressional hearings.

“The FBI has testified to Congress and responded to letters from legislators connected galore occasions to supply an close accounting of however we bash our work” an FBI spokesperson said successful a connection to CNN.

“The men and women of the FBI give themselves to protecting the American radical from terrorism, convulsive crime, cyber threats and different dangers,” the spokesperson said. “Put rather simply: we travel the facts without respect for politics.”