Democrats from the House Oversight Committee have rejected a Republican attempt to pass a resolution related to President Joe Biden's family’s international business schemes, including his son Hunter’s business contracts.
On Tuesday, Democrats voted 23-19 against Resolution 1243 – the so-called “resolution of inquiry” - which asks Biden to “send copies of any document, record, report, memo, correspondence or other communication in his possession” that pertains to “the Biden family’s international business arrangements” within 14 days of passage.
Apart from Hunter Biden, the resolution also mentions POTUS’ brother James Biden and his wife Sara, as well as Hunter Biden’s former business associates Eric Schwerin, John Robinson Walker and Devon Archer.
Oversight Committee chair Carolyn Maloney pointed out that “none of these people have any role in the Biden administration,” adding that it also “reveals the misguided priorities of our Republican colleagues.”
“The same Republicans turned a blind eye when [former US President] Donald Trump unleashed a deadly riot in the Capitol, violating the peaceful transfer of power. And illegally removed top secret presidential data from the White House,” she said, referring to the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach. At the time, a mob, which included Trump supporters, breached the US Capitol in Washington DC in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 US election win by Democrat Joe Biden.
Maloney also argued that the resolution aims to “smudge President Biden by targeting his family.” According to her, “this is a purely partisan effort, so it’s no surprise it was led by none other than former President Donald Trump.”
She spoke as James Comer, the top Republican on the Oversight panel, accused the Bidens of peddling "access to the highest levels of government to enrich themselves," stressing that it is important to get answers due to national security concerns.
“If the Democrats vote against this resolution, then they are continuing in their coordinated effort to shield a potentially compromised President from necessary congressional oversight. We must shed light on the Biden family's international business schemes to determine if there is a national security threat,” Comer pointed out.
He was echoed by House Republican Jody Hice, who claimed that “If there’s nothing to fear from Hunter Biden, then there’s no reason Democrats should refuse an investigation.”
“Whether Democrats want to admit it or not, there are serious concerns about the Biden family’s business dealings. There are serious concerns. These are about whether our Commander in Chief, the President of the United States, has attempted to enrich himself and his family at the expense of our national security,” Hice added.
Hunter Biden Under Federal Probe
The developments come after US media cited unnamed sources as saying that the federal probe into Hunter Biden had reached a “critical juncture” and investigators are weighing whether to charge the president's son.
The sources claimed that prosecutors were focused on tax- and gun-related charges against POTUS’ son.
The firearm charge relates to at least one false statement made by Hunter in his procurement of a weapon. It is believed Biden’s son should have been prohibited from purchasing a firearm due to his self-professed struggle with drug addiction.
The federal investigation specifically looks into the contents of Hunter Biden's so-called “laptop from Hell,” including compromising emails, naked photos and graphic videos that have been released since 2020, when the New York Post was the first to make public several emails from the device, which was allegedly abandoned by the POTUS son at a repair shop in Delaware.
The laptop yielded details about potentially illegal activities by the president’s son, ranging from parties with prostitutes to “business deals” involving the trading of cash for access to his father during the latter's tenure as Barack Obama’s vice president.
Joe Biden has repeatedly dismissed any knowledge of his son’s business activities, and most news outlets and social media companies successfully shielded him from the laptop-related revelations ahead of the 2020 presidential election campaign, when they were dismissed as part of a “Russian disinformation operation.”
Earlier this year, however, the New York Times and The Washington Post made a U-turn, confirming that the laptop was authentic and that the damning information contained within was authentic.