Three Republican-led House committees sent criminal referrals of Hunter Biden and James Biden to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday for lying to Congress during the impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden.
The House Oversight Committee, Ways and Means Committee, and Judiciary Committee sent criminal referrals to Attorney General Merrick Garland recommending Hunter and James Biden be charged with perjury and making false statements to Congress about key aspects of Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry.
BREAKING NEWS: Hunter and James Biden have been referred to the Justice Department by Reps. James Comer, Jim Jordan and Jason Smith for making false statements to Congress. NEWSMAX's Kilmeny Duchardt reports.@KILM3NY pic.twitter.com/bjLjQRJpy4
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) June 5, 2024
Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chairs of the respective committees, said they accumulated “overwhelming evidence” of felony false statement and perjury violations by Hunter and James Biden.
“Hunter Biden and James Biden made provably false statements to the Oversight Committee and the Judiciary Committee about key aspects of the impeachment inquiry, in what appears to be a conscious effort to hinder the investigation’s focus on President Joe Biden,” the chairmen wrote.
BREAKING
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) June 5, 2024
“The nature of these false statements is not lost on the Committees: every instance implicates Joe Biden’s knowledge of and role in his family’s influence peddling.”
They argued Hunter Biden perjured himself in his deposition when he was questioned about a WhatsApp message the first son wrote to the executive of Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC in 2017.
The message showed Hunter leveraging his father’s political influence to pressure the apparent recipient, Raymond Zhao, to pay him.
Hunter claimed he sent it to Henry Zhao, a businessman unaffiliated with the Chinese company, and that Raymond Zhao never received it.
“He fabricated the story out of whole cloth,” the chairmen wrote.
They also said Hunter Biden perjured himself when he said he did not hold a corporate secretary position with a company called Rosemont Seneca Bohai.
Hunter Biden falsely distanced himself from a corporate entity – Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC – and its bank account (Rosemont Seneca Bohai Bank Account) that was the recipient of millions of dollars from foreign individuals and foreign entities who met with then-Vice President Biden before and after transmitting money to the Rosemont Seneca Bohai Bank Account that then transferred funds to Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden made additional false statements as to whether he held positions at Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC. After deposing Hunter Biden, the Committees obtained documents showing Hunter Biden represented that he was the corporate secretary.
Additionally, Hunter Biden during his testimony relayed an entirely fictitious account about threatening text messages he sent to his Chinese business partner while invoking his father’s presence with him as he wrote the messages. Hunter Biden told the Oversight Committee and the Judiciary Committee he had transmitted this threat to an unrelated individual with the same surname. However, documents released by the Committee on Ways and Means demonstrate conclusively that Hunter Biden made this threat to the intended individual, and bank records prove Hunter Biden’s Chinese business partners wired millions of dollars to him after his threat.
“A portion of the proceeds has been traced to Joe Biden’s bank account,” the lawmakers added.
As for Joe Biden’s brother James Biden, the House Republicans said he “stated unequivocally during his transcribed interview that Joe Biden did not meet with Mr. Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of James and Hunter Biden, in 2017 while pursuing a deal with a Chinese entity, CEFC China Energy.”
“Specifically, James Biden stated he did not attend a meeting with Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Tony Bobulinski on May 2, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. These statements were contradicted not only by Mr. Bobulinski, but Hunter Biden,” they wrote.
“Mr. Bobulinski also produced text messages that establish the events leading up to and immediately following his meeting with Joe Biden on May 2, 2017.”
It’s unlikely Garland will move forward on these criminal referrals given his close relationship to Joe Biden.
But Hunter Biden is currently on trial in Delaware for allegedly lying about his drug use in a firearm application in 2018, in a case brought forward by Special Counsel David Weiss. Hunter pleaded not guilty.