Joe Biden has been invited to testify in his own impeachment inquiry as Republicans hope to secure damning information on the president’s alleged ‘self-enrichment schemes’ in a last effort to find evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to the president Thursday asking him to answer questions and inviting him to Capitol Hill to testify on April 16 in the Republican’s investigation into his family’s ‘influence peddling.’
The committee has been investigating Biden, his family and business associates for over six months and claim they have received ‘a body of evidence’ that proves Biden was ‘indeed involved in these pay-for-influence schemes’ totaling over $24 million.
‘I invite you to participate in a public hearing at which you will be afforded the opportunity to explain, under oath, your involvement with your family’s sources of income and the means it has used to generate it,’ Comer wrote to Biden.
The Republican suggested earlier this month that Biden could testify in a just few weeks time.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to Joe Biden Thursday inviting him to testify publicly under oath about his involvement in what the Republican alleges is an influence peddling scheme
President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he was not involved in any of his family’s business ventures despite Republicans claiming otherwise
The invitations comes as Republicans have exhaustively scoured the president and his family’s bank accounts to find evidence of his wrongdoing.
The saga has included testimonies from the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and his brother, James Biden, among others, and Republicans see the president’s potential testimony as the crown jewel of their probe.
But it is all but certain the president will decline Comer’s offer.
He would likely opt to not have a potentially embarrassing made-for-TV-moment that could lend credibility to the GOP’s efforts.
In response to the letter, White House spokesman Ian Sams sent DailyMail.com a post on X from earlier this month: ‘Comer knows 20+ witnesses have testified that POTUS did nothing wrong.’
‘He knows that the hundreds of thousands of pages of records he’s received have refuted his false allegations,’ his post continued. ‘This is a sad stunt at the end of a dead impeachment.’
But Comer disagrees.
The Kentucky Republican’s letter details many of the committee’s findings, most notably focusing on how over $24 million has flowed from foreign sources to Biden, his family and their business associates.
‘You have repeatedly denied playing any role in your family’s business activities, but the Committee has amassed evidence—including bank records and witness testimony—that wholly contradicts your position on these matters,’ the letter states.
The Republican claims a network of shell companies funneled or received over $25 million from China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakstan and other nations that ultimately ended up with the Biden family or their business partners.
The letter casts doubt on Joe and Hunter Biden’s claims that the president was not involved in his son’s business ventures
James Biden, the brother of the president, testified before the Oversight Committee in February
President Biden (L) and his son Hunter Biden (R) have been under investigation by the House Oversight Committee since last year
Biden, for his part, has maintained that he has ‘never talked business’ with his family’s business associates.
Still, Comer and his fellow Republicans are assured that is not the case.
‘The Committee has traced tens of thousands of dollars from China to your bank account,’ the letter states.
The committee identified approximately $10 million originating from China that they claim is connected to Biden family influence peddling.
They also raise questions about why Hunter Biden was paid $1 million annually by Ukrainian company Burisma while he sat on the board – at the same time Joe was serving as vice president.
The Republicans are still demanding information about two ‘loan repayment’ checks Biden received from his brother Jim.
To entice the president to attend the optional hearing, the letter referenced how former presidents have testified before Congress.
‘As you are aware, presidents before you have provided testimony to congressional committees, including President Ford’s testimony before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice of the House Judiciary Committee in 1974,’ they write.
Comer may not push for a vote on articles of impeachment, though, after sending a fundraising email earlier this week saying ‘preparing criminal referrals’ will be ‘the culmination of my investigation.’
A criminal referral would largely amount to a symbolic letter to the Department of Justice suggesting prosecutors probe specific crimes they believe have been committed.
Hunter Biden testified before the committee last month in Washington, D.C.
As it stands, the path forward on a House impeachment vote is murky at best.
Earlier this month – six months into the impeachment inquiry – Speaker Mike Johnson admitted he has not had time to ‘do a deep dive into the evidence’ to determine if Republicans should vote to impeach the president, a suggestion that the prospect is not a top priority.
‘To be very frank with you, very honest and transparent, because I’ve been so busy with all my other responsibilities, I have not been able to take the time to do the deep dive in the evidence,’ he disclosed.
‘Yet what has been uncovered has been alarming,’ the speaker added.