In a highly anticipated report, House Republicans have concluded their months-long impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, accusing him of engaging in ‘impeachable conduct.’ The 292-page report, prepared by the House Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees, details evidence gathered to date, alleging that Biden ‘abused his office’ and ‘defrauded the United States to enrich his family.’
The report outlines allegations of a ‘conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family,’ stating that the Biden family and their associates received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests. These interests, according to Republicans, were led to believe that such payments would grant them access and influence with President Biden. The report claims that over $27 million flowed into the Biden family’s coffers from foreign individuals or entities since 2014, and that the family leveraged Biden’s vice-presidential position to secure over $8 million in loans from Democratic benefactors. These loans, the report asserts, remain unpaid and lack proper documentation.
The report goes into detail about a 2014 dinner Biden attended for his son, Hunter, with Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina. Following the dinner, Baturina wired $3.5 million to Hunter Biden’s firm, Rosemont Seneca Thornton. Republicans argue that this instance is just one example of a pattern of Biden’s active participation in his son’s business dealings with foreign interests, including attending dinners and speaking on phone calls with Hunter Biden’s business associates. They further highlight Biden’s meeting with Jonathan Li of BHR in China in 2013 and his meeting with the chair of Chinese energy firm CEFC, Ye Jianming, in 2017.
The report accuses the Biden family of going to great lengths to conceal their alleged conspiracy, using complicated financial transactions, intermediate entities, and breaking up large transactions into smaller ones to obscure the origins of the funds. Republicans further assert that Hunter Biden leveraged his father’s position as vice-president to gain favorable outcomes in foreign business dealings and legal proceedings. The report cites witness testimony claiming Hunter Biden invoked his father’s name in business dealings with companies in Romania, China, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, resulting in millions of dollars flowing to the Biden family.
Beyond foreign business dealings, the report also alleges that Biden used his official position to conceal his mishandling of classified information while a private citizen. It states that Biden removed sensitive classified documents from the White House, despite lacking the authority to do so. While Special Counsel Robert Hur investigated this matter and did not recommend charges, he described Biden as a ‘sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,’ suggesting a jury might find it difficult to convict him.
The report further incorporates allegations from IRS whistleblowers who claimed federal investigators allowed the statute of limitations to expire on Hunter Biden’s alleged tax crimes. The whistleblowers allege the Justice Department prevented key interviews and investigations, suggesting preferential treatment for Hunter Biden that ceased only with congressional scrutiny. Republicans argue this pattern of behavior may constitute grounds for impeachment, as it mirrors the circumstances surrounding President Nixon’s prospective impeachment in 1974.
The report concludes by stating that the evidence gathered points to President Biden engaging in corrupt conduct, specifically influence peddling and grift, through which he abused his office and defrauded the United States to enrich his family. Republicans maintain that the Biden family’s lavish lifestyle was funded by these activities, with Joe Biden playing a key role in securing these deals. They argue that these actions warrant impeachment, citing the Constitution’s remedy for presidential abuse of office.
The report’s release comes amidst pressure within the Democratic Party for Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential race. House Republicans have been leading this impeachment inquiry since mid-2023, with the full House formalizing the inquiry in December 2023. In June, House Republicans submitted criminal referrals to the Justice Department, recommending charges against Hunter Biden and James Biden, the president’s brother, for making false statements to Congress about the impeachment inquiry. Hunter Biden was found guilty of federal gun charges earlier this year and faces federal tax charges in a trial scheduled for September.
