Assessing Six Republican Party Claims in the Biden Impeachment Investigation

As they search for evidence they can use to impeach President Biden, Republicans in the House of Representatives have repeatedly pointed to evidence they say undermines his claims that he never had anything to do with Trump’s foreign business dealings. his son, Hunter Biden.

For example, as vice president, Mr. Biden briefly met with some of his son’s business associates, though there is no testimony that he had substantive conversations with them or that he changed government policy in favor of Hunter Biden’s businesses.

Still, Republicans have continued to mine voluminous documents related to Hunter Biden, including a trove of messages from a computer hard drive, to try to prove that Hunter Biden’s income from abroad was at the heart of an influence peddling scheme operation that enriched the economy. entire Biden family, including his father.

Republicans have used quotes from text messages or emails to add a denominational quality to their presentations — proof, they say, that Hunter Biden essentially admitted that he and his father were involved in political corruption.

But an examination of some of the most high-profile examples cited by Republicans shows that they have been taken out of context, or that Republicans have left out key messages in email or text chains that often cast communications in a more innocent light. throw.

‘Half my salary’

In one example, Republicans point to a 2019 text message Hunter Biden sent to his daughter in which he said he admitted to sharing half of the millions he received from foreign business deals with his father.

“I hope y’all can do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years,” he wrote in the typo-filled post. “It’s very difficult. But don’t worry, unlike Dad, I won’t force you to give me half your salary.

Instead of pointing to the money Hunter Biden received from Ukrainian energy company Burisma or from a venture with a Chinese partner, Hunter Biden alluded to his financial support for his own children and his school years, when his father allowed him to receive half of the maintain salary. from part-time jobs, but asked him to contribute the other half to help pay for room and board, according to a review of Hunter Biden’s messages and interviews by The New York Times.

’10 percent for the big man’

The phrase “10 percent for the big man” is nearly ubiquitous in Republican circles, stemming from the accusation that Hunter Biden gave his father a 10 percent stake in his business deals.

It comes from a 2017 email sent by James Gilliar, a business associate of Hunter Biden, who suggested including the “big man” – believed to be Joseph R. Biden Jr., the former vice president – ​​in a business venture under the name Oneida Holdings.

“10 held by H for the big man?” Mr Gilliar wrote.

But he told The Wall Street Journal in 2020 that his suggestion wasn’t going anywhere. The former vice president did not get involved in their affairs, and the proposed deal never produced any profits for anyone to split.

“I would like to clear up any speculation that former Vice President Biden was involved in the 2017 discussions about our potential corporate structure.” Mr Gilliar said in 2020. “I am not aware of any involvement by the former vice president at any time. The activity in question has never generated project income.”

In an interview with the FBI, Rob Walker, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, described suggestions to involve Hunter’s father in the company as “wishful thinking.” He declared he “certainly never thought the VP was part of anything we did.”

‘I can only work with you, father!!’

Another message Republicans have highlighted is a 2018 text message sent by James Biden, the president’s brother, to Hunter Biden, who at the time was in the grips of addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine: “I can working only with you, father!! As usual, we just need a few months of his help to make this work.”

During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Republican lawmakers suggested this message was related to business transactions, but… another text in the chain makes it clear that James Biden was referring to working with Joe Biden to get help for Hunter Biden as he struggled to keep up with his bills, get sober and find a place to live.

Concerns of a bank examiner

Republicans have also drawn attention to a bank investigator’s concerns about Hunter Biden’s business dealings, which involved securing millions of dollars from a Chinese company in exchange for work that the investigator said may not have existed.

“The activity on the account appears unusual and has no current business purpose,” wrote the researcher.

But Republicans left out other emails in the chain released by Democrats on the Oversight Committee. They show a vigorous debate within the bank about the legitimacy of the business activity. One response described the activity associated with Hunter Biden’s account as “reasonable and consistent with the company’s profile.”

$240,000 to Joe Biden

Despite claims that anywhere from 10 percent to half of the money from Hunter Biden’s business deals went to his father, Republicans have so far failed to demonstrate any gains for the current president.

They have documented three cases in which family members paid money to Joe Biden — while he was not in office — but they often left out the context that the exchanges were loan repayments, not a reduction in income.

Rather than showing that Joe Biden was enriched by his family’s foreign business dealings, the documents released so far by House Republicans have shown the opposite.

After leaving the vice presidency, Joe Biden earned more than $15 million, mainly through speaking engagements and book salessome of which went to support his extended family.

Hunter Biden, on the other hand, spent much of his money on alcohol, drugs, prostitutes, luxury cars and other self-indulgent expenses and failed to pay his taxes on time, resulting in his federal tax indictment this month.

James Biden also found himself needing a loan every now and then. According to Republicans in the House of Representatives, at one point, James Biden only had $46 on a personal message account.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have pointed to two payments — one of $200,000 and another of $40,000 — that James Biden made to Joe Biden while he was out of office. They have characterized the $40,000 check as “laundered Chinese money.” But they did not include evidence showing that Joe Biden first loaned money to his brother before being repaid.

The House Oversight Committee also released documents showing that one of Hunter Biden’s companies, Owasco PC, made three $1,380 payments to Joe Biden in 2018. But other documents indicate the money was intended to repay his father for helping cover the cost of a Ford truck.

‘I’m sitting here with my father’

One WhatsApp message that has received a lot of attention is from an IRS investigator who testified before Congress under whistleblower protection. In it, Hunter Biden appealed to his father, who was then no longer in office, while in 2017 he pressured a potential Chinese business partner to move forward with a proposed energy deal.

“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to know why the promise was not kept,” the message said. At first glance, the message seemed to suggest that Joe Biden was working with his son and pressing for a payment to the family.

But Democrats have argued that it is more likely an example of Hunter Biden’s blunder than an accurate explanation of Joe Biden’s involvement in a shakedown. A lawyer for Hunter Biden says he doesn’t remember sending the message.

The president has denied that he was present at the time.