House Republicans Push for Criminal Charges Against Hunter and James Biden
House Republicans are urging the Justice Department to charge Hunter and James Biden, President Biden’s son and brother, with making false statements to Congress in the impeachment inquiry against President Biden. The chairmen of three House committees have recommended this action in a criminal referral sent shortly after former President Donald J. Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in New York.
The allegations against Hunter and James Biden assert that they made false statements to Congress about President Biden’s involvement in his family’s business dealings. The House Republicans are hoping to influence the Justice Department to carry out more prosecutions of the Biden family, especially if Mr. Trump takes over the department.
Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland should prove his independence by taking immediate action on the accusations. Hunter Biden has already been indicted by two federal grand juries in different jurisdictions and is currently on trial in Delaware on charges of lying about his drug use when purchasing a gun.
The referrals do not carry the force of law, but House Republicans are using their majority to try to retaliate against the Biden family. They accuse Hunter Biden of perjury and making false statements about his involvement in a corporate entity that received millions of dollars from foreign individuals.
Hunter Biden’s legal team argues that he was unaware of holding a specific title at the firm in question, despite documents showing otherwise. The referral also accuses Hunter Biden of providing false information about threatening messages he sent to a business partner.
James Biden is accused of lying to Congress about a meeting between his brother and a business associate pursuing a deal with a Chinese entity. The Republicans claim that both Hunter and James Biden made false statements to hide President Biden’s involvement in their family’s business schemes.
Lawyers for both Hunter and James Biden have denied the allegations, calling them a partisan attempt to distract from other issues. House Republicans have shifted their focus to criminal referrals as a way to target the Biden family after failing to gather enough support for impeachment.
The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee criticized the GOP’s pivot to criminal referrals, calling it a distraction from the exoneration of President Biden. The Republicans’ move follows a model created by Democrats in the last Congress, who made criminal referrals against former President Trump.
