Six members of US President Joe Biden’s family and two business associates have been called on by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday to testify in the impeachment investigation regarding shady business dealings by the family, as the Committee cited “influence peddling schemes” involving the Biden family.

Committee chair James Comer issued subpoenas to Biden’s son Hunter and Biden's brother James, one of Hunter's business associates Rob Walker, and the other associate, Tony Bobulinski, was requested to appear for a transcribed interview. 

Those who were also subpoenaed were James' wife Sara, Hunter’s wife Melissa, alongside Hallie Biden, Hunter’s short-lived lover and widow of his brother Beau, and Hallie’s sister Elizabeth Secundy.

Comer said, “The House Oversight Committee has followed the money and built a record of evidence revealing how Joe Biden knew, was involved, and benefited from his family’s influence peddling schemes,” adding, “Unlike the many lies President Biden told the American people about his family’s business schemes, bank records don’t lie. These records reveal how the Bidens sold Joe Biden around to the world [sic] to benefit the Biden family, including Joe Biden himself, to the detriment of US interests.”

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This comes after the committee discovered the money trail behind a $40,000 check written to the President by James and Sara, which led them to discover Hunter and a Chinese company he allegedly “extorted” in his father’s name.

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Republicans have been persistently asserting the existence of a pay-to-play scheme involving President Biden during his tenure as Vice President under the Obama administration. They allege that Hunter Biden exploited his father's position to secure financial advantages.

Denial

Records in the committee's hands show that the family set up “over 20 shell companies” when Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president from 2009-2017 in “a concerted effort to hide payments from foreign adversaries,” and more than $24 million from foreign nationals – including from China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan – were received over five years, according to Comer.

Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith stated, “Subpoenaing key members of the Biden family influence peddling operation is the next logical step in this investigation,” noting that “No one should be shielded from legal scrutiny based on their last name.”

The president has repeatedly denied being involved in his son's business dealings or benefited from them personally, and the White House insists on that claim, but the Republican-led committee argues that evidence exists of Biden meeting with Hunter’s associates – including “a Ukrainian executive being investigated for corruption” – numerous times.

“President Biden and his administration have continually changed their stories throughout this inquiry,” House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan claimed on Wednesday. 

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Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the committee was “coming to a point of decision” on the impeachment, but would follow due process.