House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer and other lawmakers held a press conference Monday detailing evidence uncovered during the committee’s investigation into the Biden family’s extensive influence peddling schemes.
Comer pointed to financial records tracing at least $10 million from foreign nationals and related companies to the Biden family, their associates, and their companies. Comer outlined how the Bidens took steps to launder the payments they received from foreign nationals, including a Communist Chinese Party-linked associate.
In addition to China, the Biden family received money from Romania in an influence peddling scheme from 2015 to 2017, Comer said. This scheme started at least as far back as when Biden was Vice President.
“I want to be clear: this Committee is investigating President Biden and his family’s shady business deals that capitalized on Joe Biden’s public office and risked our country’s national security,” Comer said. He continued:
“In only four months since obtaining subpoena authority, we have made astonishing progress. Today we’ll talk about that progress.
“First, we want to discuss information the Committee has learned since our last press conference in November: new information investigators have uncovered regarding the transfer of money from foreign entities to the Biden family.
“Many of the wire payments occurred while Joe Biden was Vice President and leading the United States’ efforts in those countries.
“For instance, while Vice President Biden was lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies, in reality he was a walking billboard for his son and family to collect money.
“Hunter Biden and his associates capitalized on a lucrative financial relationship with a Romanian national who was under investigation for—and later convicted of—corruption in Romania,” Comer said.
“The Bidens received over $1 million for the deal, and 16 of the 17 payments to their associate’s account that funneled the Bidens money occurred while Joe Biden was Vice President.
“In fact, the money stops flowing from the Romanian national soon after Joe Biden leaves office.
“This is a pattern of influence peddling,” Comer said. “This appears separate from any payment Hunter received from his work connecting this individual to a U.S. law firm.”
Comer went on to describe how Joe Biden received millions of dollars from China.
“This includes two individuals the Committee is particularly concerned about. One of them— Ye Jianming—had close ties to the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party and operated a multi-billion-dollar energy company with access to huge sums of money,” Comer said.
The Bidens received millions of dollars from this individual through the use of shell companies and money transfers, Comer said.
An analysis last year of documents obtained from Hunter Biden’s hard drive and iCloud account, as well as documents released by Republicans on two Senate committees last year, uncovered a total income of approximately $11 million earned by Hunter Biden and his company between 2013 and 2018. These earnings were acquired through his roles as an attorney and a board member with a corrupt Ukrainian firm, Burisma, as well as his involvement with a Chinese businessman who faces fraud charges.
While the hard drive document showed substantial earnings Hunter Biden accumulated and spent during this period, there are no details regarding the nature of his work with his Chinese partners.
Hunter Biden’s hard drive held evidence that he burned through $200,000 per month from October 2017 through February 2018 on luxury hotels, a Porsche, dental work to restore his drug-rotted teeth, and cash withdrawals. And then there were the photos — scores of photos with him in compromised situations with women and drugs.
In March, the Oversight Committee released its first bank records memorandum that showed a Biden associate— John Robinson “Rob” Walker—had used his company to funnel money from the Chinese to various Biden family members. Walker visited the White House at least 16 times when President Biden was vice president.
Comer called out the Democrats on the committee for dismissing evidence that was made up of bank records received from financial institutions.
“Democrats said all the bank records showed were Papa Johns and Starbucks receipts. They deliberately chose to misconstrue and deny what was clearly in front of them,” Comer said.
Hunter Biden’s representatives claimed the money was “good faith seed funds” but could not explain why those funds had to go through an intermediary in what appears to be an attempt to hide the transfers from the Chinese — a classic money laundering technique.
The Bidens received over $1 million in 16 different wire transfers over a period of three months to at least five different bank accounts, Comer said.
While Biden has denied the allegation, Comer said the president has not been honest.
“The Bidens have received millions of dollars from China. It is inconceivable the president didn’t know about it,” Comer said.
The White House refuses to correct the president’s false statements. This, Comer said, is misusing the federal government to cover up these schemes.
“A week ago, I sent a subpoena to the FBI for a form that a whistleblower has alleged is in the FBI’s possession. We hope the FBI will be transparent and forthcoming and provide the Oversight Committee with the 1023 form we have subpoenaed. If they do, the Committee will assess the form it has subpoenaed from the FBI and—as has been my practice—we will report to you only facts when they are verified and indisputable,” Comer said.
“I trust the whistleblower. A subpoena from this Committee is a powerful tool that I do not take lightly. The level of detail provided to Senator Grassley led me to conclude a subpoena was warranted, and I stand by that assessment,” Comer said.
When Sen. Chuck Grassley approached Comer with the information the whistleblower provided, “it was because of the information we’ve learned through the Committee’s own investigation that indicated to me the whistleblower’s allegations are consistent with our independent findings,” he said.
The Oversight Committee reviewed thousands of bank records from individuals and companies affiliated with the Bidens and their associates. It has subpoenaed documents from different banks and Comer said those documents proved fruitful in advancing the investigation.
“The Committee is concerned by the complicated, suspicious network of over 20 companies we have identified the Bidens and their associates used to enrich themselves,” he said.
Most of thee companies were limited liability companies formed during Joe Biden’s vice presidency. Bank records show the Biden family, their associates, and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals and their companies — some of it from a Chinese company that sent funds to Hunter Biden’s company, and others, with the help of Rob Walker, went to different Biden family members.
“This is not how lawful businesses usually operate,” Comer said. “Chinese nationals affiliated with the Bidens created limited liability companies in the United States and then in a short period of time transferred their interests to a Chinese company that then sent money to the Bidens. This is not normal.”
Hunter Biden and his associates courted business in countries that correlated directly with Joe Biden’s work as Vice President.
“This is also not normal. It is not ethical,” Comer said. “And this is why we need legislative solutions.”
The committee will provide legislation that he hopes will to prevent this unethical behavior from happening again.
“This investigation is about investigating allegations of corruption and fraud at the highest levels of the federal government,” Comer said.
The committee issued a new round of subpoenas on Monday, and also sent letters to Biden associates to come forward prior to the committee having to issue a subpoena. Comer also released a second bank accounts memorandum, so the American people can see for themselves the actual banking transactions the Bidens engaged in.
Read the second bank records memorandum here. The first memorandum can be found here.
Read Comer’s full remarks at this link.
