Rep. James Comer (R-KY) wants White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to “correct” President Joe Biden’s “dishonest” denial that his family members received more than $1 million from a Hunter Biden business associate.
Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, last week revealed that “from 2015 through 2017, Biden family members and their companies received over $1.3 million in payments” from accounts tied to Hunter Biden associate Rob Walker. Comer obtained the records through a subpoena of Walker's financial records at Bank of America.
JOE BIDEN DENIES CHINESE MONEY STORY WHICH HUNTER BIDEN CONFIRMED
Shortly after Walker received a $3 million wire from a Chinese company, Comer said more than $1 million was sent in incremental payments to Hunter Biden, James Biden, the president's brother, and Hallie Biden, the widow of the president’s deceased son, Beau Biden, with whom Hunter was having a romantic relationship in 2017.
Joe Biden flat-out denied the details when asked about them on Friday.
In a Tuesday letter to Jean-Pierre, Comer wrote, "President Biden’s statement was misleading and dishonest. The Committee received the bank documents from a financial institution pursuant to a subpoena.
"Further undercutting President Biden’s assertion, Hunter Biden’s legal team publicly acknowledged he was involved in a ‘joint venture’ with an 'energy company in China’ and ‘shared' his portion of the funds with James and Hallie Biden,” he continued.
Hunter Biden’s legal team had indeed seemingly confirmed, and defended, the payments in a Thursday statement.
"Hunter Biden, a private citizen with every right to pursue his own business endeavors, joined several business partners in seeking a joint venture with a privately owned, legitimate energy company in China,” a Hunter Biden spokesman said. “As part of that joint venture, Hunter received his portion of good faith seed funds, which he shared with his uncle James Biden and Hallie Biden, with whom he was involved with at the time and sharing expenses."
The statement did not dispute the amounts that Comer had detailed.
Comer released a memo last week stating that two months after Joe Biden left the vice presidency, the Chinese company State Energy HK wired $3 million to Robinson Walker LLC, an account belonging to Walker. The Republican added that “Biden family members and their companies began receiving incremental payments over a period of approximately three months” after Robinson Walker LLC received the Chinese wire and that recipients of the money included Hallie Biden, companies associated with Hunter Biden and James Biden, and an unknown bank account identified only as “Biden.”
The three-month Biden family total added up to approximately $1,065,692. Comer attached a chart laying out the payments to his Tuesday letter to the White House.
"The American people deserve honest and transparent answers from President Biden related to his family’s questionable foreign business deals,” Comer told Jean-Pierre. “The Committee requests that you, as President Biden’s Press Secretary, correct his March 17, 2023, statement that the evidence from the bank records is ‘not true’ or explain, in detail, which financial transactions in the chart below that he is disputing.”
Comer said Robinson Walker LLC wired $1,065,000 the next day to Abu Dhabi-based European Energy and Infrastructure Group, a company associated with James Gilliar, a Hunter Biden business partner and author of the infamous “Big Guy” email.
Hunter Biden’s company Owasco P.C. received a combined $500,000 in March and April 2017. JBBSR INC, an account tied to James Biden, received $360,000 total in April and May 2017. The “Biden” account received a combined $70,000 in March, April, and May 2017.
There was also a $10,692 payment made to Hunter Biden-linked RSTP II, LLC on April 14, 2017. A Hunter Biden-linked account for “First Clearing LLC” also received $100,000 on March 29.
Comer says Hallie Biden received $10,000 from Robinson Walker LLC on Feb. 13, 2017, before the Chinese wire payment, and $25,000 on March 20, 2017.
White House investigations spokesman Ian Sams accused Comer of “going after Beau’s widow” on Thursday but did not dispute the existence of the payments as the president had.
"The Committee is concerned about the national security implications of a President's or Vice President's immediate family receiving such lucrative financial deals from foreign nationals and foreign companies without any oversight,” Comer said on Tuesday. “Despite the overwhelming evidence, President Biden continues to deny his family’s involvement in suspicious foreign financial transactions.”
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Joe Biden previously claimed during a 2020 debate with then-President Donald Trump that Hunter Biden had not made any money from Chinese business deals, saying, "My son has not made money in terms of this thing about — what are you talking about — China." The Biden White House stood by that claim.
Hunter Biden and his associated businesses also received at least $5 million in payments from Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC China Energy in 2017 and 2018, and since-convicted CEFC deputy Patrick Ho also agreed to pay Hunter Biden a $1 million retainer. Hunter Biden referred to Ho as "the f***ing spy chief of China" in a May 11, 2018, voice recording.