House Republicans have escalated their impeachment inquiry into President Biden, sending criminal referrals to the Justice Department against his son Hunter Biden and brother James Biden for making false statements under oath about their business dealings. The referrals allege that Hunter Biden lied about his involvement with a Chinese energy company and its bank account, while James Biden falsely denied that he met with Joe Biden to discuss a business deal with a Chinese entity. The Republicans claim that these false statements implicate the president’s knowledge of and role in his family’s influence-peddling schemes. The Justice Department will now consider whether to open a criminal investigation into the Bidens’ alleged false statements.