Current:Home > ScamsJames Biden, Joe Biden's brother, tells lawmakers the president had no involvement in family's business dealings -Horizon Finance School
James Biden, Joe Biden's brother, tells lawmakers the president had no involvement in family's business dealings
Benjamin Ashford View
Date:2025-04-07 13:02:49
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! (59333)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- How algorithms determine what you'll buy for the holidays — and beyond
- NCAA president tours the realignment wreckage at Washington State
- UN chief gives interview from melting Antarctica on eve of global climate summit
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Paper mill strike ends in rural Maine after more than a month
- This designer made the bodysuit Beyoncé wears in 'Renaissance' film poster
- Caitlin Clark is a scoring machine. We’re tracking all of her buckets this season
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Rapper Young Thug’s long-delayed racketeering trial begins soon. Here’s what to know about the case
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Small Business Saturday: Why is it becoming more popular than Black Friday?
- Gaza cease-fire enters second day with more hostages to be exchanged and critical supplies delivered
- Alabama priest Alex Crow was accused of marrying an 18-year-old and fleeing to Italy.
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- You’ll Be Soaring After Watching This Adorable Video of Zac Efron and His Siblings
- Woman believed to be girlfriend of suspect in Colorado property shooting is also arrested
- The Netherlands’ longtime ruling party says it won’t join a new government following far-right’s win
Recommendation
Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
Israeli government approves Hamas hostage deal, short-term cease-fire in Gaza
The second installment of Sri Lanka’s bailout was delayed. The country hopes it’s coming in December
AI drama over as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reinstated with help from Microsoft
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Pep Guardiola faces fresh questions about allegations of financial wrongdoing by Manchester City
How to enroll in Zelle: Transfer money through the app easily with this step-by-step guide
'Like seeing a unicorn': Moose on loose becomes a viral sensation in Minnesota