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During his testimony in the Republican impeachment inquiry, James Biden, the brother of President Joe Biden, stated that those who accused him of leveraging his relationship with his brother for personal gain are either incorrect, uninformed, or deliberately spreading falsehoods.
According to the statement made on Wednesday, in all of my business endeavors, I have depended on my own abilities, decision-making, expertise, and personal connections rather than my association with Joe Biden as his brother.
Republicans have continuously claimed that the entire Biden family is corrupt and has leveraged Mr. Biden’s political power for their own business schemes. However, the GOP has faced difficulties in providing evidence to support their allegations.
“I am facing a challenge in disclosing my personal and work life to such extensive public examination, but I am doing so in order to adhere to the Committee’s investigation,” stated James Biden, the third child out of four in the Biden family. The oldest of his siblings is the current president.
“I have no secrets to keep. By being present here today, the Committees will have the necessary information to disprove the false and harmful assumptions regarding myself and my brother Joe,” stated James Biden, 74. “There is no justification for this investigation to persist.”
James Biden was interviewed on Wednesday as part of the ongoing and disorganized investigation by House Republicans. This came after other individuals related to his business and family appeared as witnesses, all confirming that the president has not been involved in any international business deals for his family – the main accusation that sparked the inquiry.
The Republicans leading the investigation are facing opposition from within their own party as dissatisfaction grows. Many are worried that the probe could have negative consequences during an election year and potentially cost them their slim majority in the House.
James Biden stated that those making accusations of corruption were either incorrect, uninformed, or deliberately spreading falsehoods.
After tense discussions that nearly fell through, Hunter Biden, the son of the president, is slated to give a private interview next week.
CNN reports that a decision regarding the potential advancement of articles of impeachment will come after the interviews with James and Hunter Biden.
Despite three Republicans defecting, House Speaker Mike Johnson may need to approve the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as he was originally unsuccessful in impeaching him. However, House Republicans were eventually able to successfully impeach the secretary by a slim one-vote margin.
Since December, the Republicans have engaged in conversations with eight individuals who have collaborated with the Bidens.
However, despite their attempts to uncover misconduct, extensive testimonies and numerous interviews have not yielded any proof that the president was involved in or gained any advantage from the business schemes.
Some doubtful House Republicans have stated that Mr. Biden’s actions do not meet the standard of serious offenses or wrongdoings necessary for impeachment.
During his opening statement on Wednesday, James Biden discussed “four crucial aspects”.
“I have been involved in a range of business endeavors for 50 years. Joe Biden has never been involved in or had any financial stake, whether direct or indirect, in these ventures. This is because I have always kept my professional life separate from my close personal relationship with my brother, whom I hold in high regard for his integrity and character, and from my own strong ethical principles.”
According to James Biden, he did not request any official actions from the president for himself, his business partners, or anyone else. He also emphasized that he did not use his familial connections to Senator, Vice President, and President for personal gain.
The Republican party has expressed disapproval of the Biden family’s business ties to China.
During the winter of 2017, after my brother finished his role as Vice President and before he considered running for President, Hunter approached me for help with a business venture he was working on with CEFC, a company from China.
“In the following months, I dedicated a significant amount of time to meeting and familiarizing myself with the other individuals involved in the project,” he stated. “Specifically, I developed a rapport with the three individuals who were associated with Hunter’s portion of the agreement – initially Mr. Walker and Mr. Gilliar, and later Tony Bobulinski.”
Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin expressed strong disapproval towards Mr. Bobulinski in a lengthy nine-page letter acquired by The Independent on Tuesday.
Mr. Bobulinski has become a strong critic of the Biden family and recently testified before the House panel where he reiterated his previous allegations from the 2020 election that the president had used his power to benefit his family financially in foreign countries.
According to Mr. Bobulinski, the Biden business dealings involved “selling out” to foreign individuals who wanted to gain power and connections with Joe Biden and the US government.
On Tuesday, Mr Raskin wrote in a letter to Mr Bobulinski’s lawyer and the Republican chair of the panel, Kentucky Rep James Comer, that Mr Bobulinski’s “interview was chaotic to the point of burlesque as he repeatedly yelled, shouted, filibustered, and hurled outlandish and baseless accusations and insults against Democratic Members and staff”.
According to Mr. Raskin, he was confused and entertained by a letter from Mr. Bobulinski’s lawyer, Stefan Passantino, who served in the White House Counsel’s Office during the Trump presidency. In the letter, Passantino disputed Raskin’s description of Bobulinski’s eight-hour testimony as being “grotesquely misrepresented”.
“I confidently maintain that during Mr. Bobulinski’s lengthy testimony, which lasted over eight hours, he did not present any proof of wrongdoing by President Biden,” stated Mr. Raskin. “He also failed to provide any evidence of President Biden’s involvement in his family’s business affairs. Additionally, Mr. Bobulinski baselessly accused a wide range of individuals and groups of dishonesty, as he was unable to substantiate his outlandish allegations against President Biden.”
On Wednesday, James Biden expressed strong disapproval towards Mr. Bobulinski.
Mr Biden described Mr Bobulinski as “extremely arrogant,” stating that he displayed disrespectful behavior and was not a good listener. He also acted like a stubborn bully and appeared determined to take control of the deal, which undermined Hunter’s role. Hunter agreed with Mr Biden’s evaluation.
Over the past few years, I have observed Mr. Bobulinski in the media, and his presence has only reinforced my initial doubts about his integrity, personality, and intentions,” he stated.
Mr Biden stated that any claims made by Mr. Bobulinski regarding his involvement or attempt to involve his brother in business dealings with CEFC or any other entity are untrue.
Source: independent.co.uk
