Those paying attention to the ongoing saga involving President Joe Biden and his family’s shady business dealings will get even more acquainted with the phrase “follow the money.” It was recently revealed that the House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), discovered that the president allegedly received yet another hefty sum of money through illicit means.
This revelation, if it turns out to be accurate, could have serious ramifications for Biden, his family, and the American political landscape. It also raises questions that the American public should be asking.
RedState’s Bonchie gave us the rundown:
According to Rep. James Comer, who chairs the committee, bank records show that Biden received $40,000 in laundered money from China through his brother James Biden. The money was paid in the form of a personal check.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said President Biden, in 2017, received $40,000 in "laundered China money" from the bank account of his brother and his sister-in-law in the form of a personal check, while claiming the president has "exposed himself to future blackmail" from Beijing.
Comer, R-Ky., detailed his findings in a video posted to X Wednesday morning. The findings come after Comer subpoenaed personal and business bank records belonging to both James Biden and Hunter Biden as part of his investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings and whether the president was involved.
"Remember when Joe Biden told the American people that his son didn’t make money in China? Well, not only did he lie about his son Hunter making money in China, but it also turns out that $40,000 in laundered China money landed in Joe Biden’s bank account in the form of a personal check," Comer said. "And the Oversight Committee has it."
Comer said Biden "benefited from his family’s shady deal" with Chinese Communist Party-linked CEFC.
Is There Proof of Intent?
The first question that might be on people’s minds is whether Comer discovered proof that the president intended to launder money. Receiving a check — or checks — from one’s brother isn’t a crime, per se, even if the money funding the check came from China. However, what matters is whether the president knew about the money’s dubious origins. If it can’t be proven that he knew he was receiving funds that were laundered through China, then there might not be anything actionable here.
On the flip side, if investigators can establish that Biden was aware of the nature of the money he received, it could open up a Pandora’s box of criminal or impeachable offenses. This would toss the president deep into ethical quicksand from which he might not be able to extricate himself.
Who Else Is Involved?
The case surrounding the Biden family has several moving parts in the form of his individual relatives. His son, Hunter, has faced a slew of allegations, and there could be more coming. Recently, questionable information regarding his brother James also surfaced during the course of the investigation.
Moreover, several individuals associated with Hunter have been charged with violating the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), which means they are being accused of illegally lobbying on behalf of foreign governments.
To summarize, we now have a $200,000 and $40,000 payment sent to Joe Biden, with the latter coming from CEFC Energy, a Chinese company. Multiple Hunter Biden associates have been charged with FARA violations regarding the enterprise. Clearly, the president directly benefited from his family's influence-peddling operation, including from China, something that Biden patently denied during the 2020 election.
Could this point to a larger, more systematic operation involving influence peddling? If this is the case, the investigation could widen its net, engulfing multiple individuals who might have played a part in the alleged scheme.
What About Biden’s Political Future?
House Republicans have been sounding the impeachment clarion call since they took back the lower chamber in the 2022 midterm elections. Indeed, Comer and several other Republican leaders have signaled that they plan to impeach the president in the future. Under House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republicans launched an impeachment inquiry to look into the president’s alleged involvement in his family’s business dealings.
If additional evidence of wrongdoing emerges, it could give House Republicans the smoking gun they need to push further into an all-out effort to impeach Biden. This would almost certainly affect the president’s chances of winning reelection in 2024.
What’s Coming Next?
The China payment is only the latest in a series of revelations indicating that the Biden family has been engaging in funny business. As the investigation continues, there will likely be more information that comes out. There could be plenty of other evidence showing how involved the president was in the family’s business operations – or even evidence of other forms of wrongdoing.
So, what will Congress do next? In this particular case, Comer and his team had better deliver the goods. If it is established that Biden was intimately involved in his family’s business, House Republicans will use it to further damage his chances of serving a second term. Indeed, even if they go through with impeachment, a Democrat-controlled Senate is not going to vote to convict Biden no matter what he’s done. Still, the hearings would be a valuable opportunity for Republicans to air out the dirty laundry. If this is going to work, Republicans will need to continue bringing each bombshell to the public as Comer did with this revelation to continue building momentum for the eventual impeachment effort.
Biden’s Defense?
The White House will have to do some serious damage control if Comer finds even more evidence that the president played a role in the family’s operations. Currently, they are maintaining that James Biden’s payment to his brother was a repayment of a loan (as they claimed previously regarding the $200,000 payment revealed in October). Yet, House Republicans have seen no evidence indicating that the president ever gave James a loan.
Still, it is also worth noting that the president won’t have to do as much to defend himself as a Republican would. We can count on the elite media to run interference for Biden and to do everything they can to convince the public that there is no “there” there. However, if House Republicans deliver the goods, even the once-vaunted Fourth Estate won’t be able to cover for the president.
So, there you have it – a whirlpool of questions America should be asking about the issues surrounding President Joe Biden and his family members. The answers could lead to a maelstrom of possibilities that might reshape today’s American politics. One thing is for sure: The coming months will likely bring even more bombshell revelations.