The White House has declined an invitation for President Biden to testify in connection to his son Hunter’s business dealings, citing that the House Oversight Committee’s inquiry regarding the president has already been concluded. The special counsel to the president, Richard Sauber, emphasized that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden, despite continued false allegations by the Committee. Additionally, Sauber accused the Committee of not focusing on the issues that matter to the American people and wasting time and taxpayer resources on a partisan investigation.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer responded to President Biden’s refusal to testify with a scathing statement, accusing the Bidens of corrupt influence peddling. Comer pointed to President Biden’s denial of relationships with his son’s business partners, even though Hunter Biden had admitted to them under oath. Comer expressed disappointment in President Biden’s lack of transparency and refusal to answer straightforward questions included in the invitation to testify. Despite providing testimony behind closed doors, Hunter Biden declined to testify in a public committee alongside former business associates, regarding alleged “pay-for-influence” schemes.
In a letter to President Biden, Comer invited him to explain his involvement in the Biden family businesses under oath, citing foreign payments of over $24 million to Biden, his family, and their business associates. The Committee also questioned President Biden’s interactions with specific foreign business officials and his involvement with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian company where Hunter Biden was a board member. The letter referenced the indictment of a former FBI informant who provided false information about Hunter Biden to the FBI, claiming that Burisma executives admitted to hiring Hunter to protect them through his father, and specifically paid for this protection. However, the DOJ has called these events fabrications.
Richard Sauber, who oversaw the president’s response to congressional investigations into the Biden family, is set to leave the White House next month to return to the private sector. His deputy, Rachel Cotton, will replace him. Despite the ongoing investigations and allegations surrounding the Bidens, the White House continues to stand by the fact that there is no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Biden. The refusal to testify and ongoing accusations from the Committee highlight the political polarization surrounding the Bidens’ business dealings and the challenges of transparency and accountability in government.
