Democratic staffers on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees are accusing Republicans of putting private citizens at risk through their high-profile investigation into President Joe Biden, according to a memo being circulated among lawmakers this week.
In a memo sent to House Democrats on Monday, staffers on the two powerful committees decried the impeachment investigation into Biden, arguing that evidence obtained so far has only added “to the mountain of evidence rebutting the Chairmen’s false claims.” The missive also criticized Republicans for their slate of witness interviews that were later highly publicized, claiming it has “put the safety of private citizens at risk.”
“Many of the witnesses in this latest round of transcribed interviews stated that they have been exposed to harassment and death threats as a result of the Chairmen’s letters and public statements,” the memo states. “Many of these private citizens have seen personal information exposed to the public and they continue to fear for their safety and the safety of their families. Republicans have sacrificed the privacy and safety of these individuals in the name of digging up dirt on the Biden family — an effort which has spectacularly and unequivocally failed.”
The memo names seven key witnesses that Republicans have interviewed over the last two months who are connected to Biden’s son Hunter Biden or his brother James Biden. Witnesses include Carol Fox, a trustee of the now-defunct Americore healthcare company that once loaned James Biden $600,000, Mervyn Yan, a former business associate of both Hunter and James Biden, and Joseph Langston, a disbarred attorney who once loaned James Biden $800,000 during the time Joe Biden was vice president.
The memo also cited testimony from art dealer Georges Berges, who represented Hunter Biden and sold his work, entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris, a financial benefactor for Hunter Biden who loaned him millions of dollars to help pay off tax liabilities, Rob Walker, a longtime associate of Hunter Biden, and Eric Schwerin, who co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners with Hunter Biden.
The memo included excerpts from the witnesses’ testimony, which features the associates telling GOP investigators that they were not aware of any wrongdoing by the president while conducting business with his family members.
“The witnesses all confirmed they understood that lying to Congress in a transcribed interview is a crime,” the memo states. “Each witness stated they were not aware of any evidence of any wrongdoing by President Biden or of President Biden being involved in, profiting from, or taking official actions in relation to family members’ business ventures. Further, not one of these witnesses indicated they ever had any expectation of receiving or ever did receive any political favors from President Biden or his Administration.”
The memo comes as Republicans prepare to hear from both James Biden and Hunter Biden in closed-door depositions later this month as part of their monthslong inquiry into whether the president abused his power while vice president.
The inquiry is looking into three main things, all of which relate to Hunter Biden: whether President Biden improperly used his position of power to enrich himself and his family, whether he used his influence to pressure the Department of Justice to help his son avoid criminal charges, and how involved he was in his family’s foreign business dealings.
“President Biden repeatedly lied to the American people about his knowledge of and participation in his family’s business schemes,” a spokesperson for the Oversight Committee told the Washington Examiner. “To date, the interviews with witnesses have given the committees and the public much greater insight into what exactly the Bidens were selling — including that Joe Biden was the brand being sold. The committees look forward to the next several interviews where more information about those businesses and President Biden’s connection to them will be revealed.”
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Up until this point, the Oversight and Judiciary committees have failed to uncover definitive evidence tying President Biden to criminal activity or any misconduct that constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor. Instead, Democrats and their staffers have accused Republicans of wasting money and resources on an investigation they say is politically motivated.
“Far from yielding any evidence of misconduct by President Biden, these efforts have served only to add to the mountain of evidence rebutting the Chairmen’s false claims about the President and proving that their so-called ‘impeachment inquiry’ rests on nothing but distorted and cherry-picked facts and long debunked conspiracy theories.”
