House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer announced subpoenas Thursday for the personal and business bank records of Hunter Biden and James Biden, taking the first concrete steps in public to advance the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Hunter Biden is the president’s son and James Biden his brother.
Republicans say text messages indicate the two took part in business dealings that involved selling access to the Biden family brand, centered on their famous relative. Now, the GOP says, it is following the money trail to see where it leads.
“As the Bidens were sealing deals around the world, Joe Biden showed up, met with, talked with, shook hands with, and had meetings with the foreign nationals sending money to his family. This culture of corruption demands further investigation,” Mr. Comer said.
The subpoenas came just hours after the Oversight Committee held the first hearing of the impeachment inquiry, featuring legal and tax experts.
Democrats said what’s in the public record does not sufficiently implicate President Biden in his son’s questionable activities. They chided Republicans for calling the hearing without more proof that the president engaged in wrongdoing.
The subpoenas are another chance for the GOP to try to make that connection.
IRS investigators have testified that Hunter Biden collected millions of dollars from foreign interests, while offering little substantive work other than his relationship with his father.
The president has denied being involved in his son’s dealings, though Hunter Biden’s former business partners have described the then-vice president being roped into phone calls or meetings that Hunter Biden used to further his business dealings.
Mr. Comer made public redacted versions of the subpoenas he issued.
In them, he says the banks requested that subpoenas be issued, which indicated they had refused to turn the information over without being compelled to do so.
The subpoenas give an Oct. 12 deadline.
They cover financial records for Hunter Biden, James Biden and Owasco P.C., Owasco LLC, Skaneateles, Lion Hall Group LLC and JBBSR Inc., which are companies or accounts linked to the two Bidens. The subpoena also covers Eric Schwerin, a business associate of Hunter Biden.
Republicans say the Bidens and those companies collected as much as $24 million in payments for which investigators cannot identify “legitimate services provided.”
