A Politico reporter falsely claimed on Sunday that the evidence connecting Joe Biden to Hunter Biden’s business dealings “doesn’t exist,” ignoring findings by congressional investigators and details from Hunter Biden’s laptop archive.
Politico investigative reporter Heidi Przybyla appeared on ABC News’ ‘This Week” as part of a panel discussing the 2024 presidential election and former President Donald Trump’s legal battles. During the conversation, she weighed in with her thoughts on Congress’ plans after its summer recess concludes. (RELATED: ‘A Lot Going On’: Joe Biden Says He’s Still Too Busy To Visit East Palestine)
“Another potential advantage which is, guess what the news might be when we come back or Congress comes back? They’re going to try to impeach Joe Biden based on charges that don’t exist and evidence that doesn’t exist, and they think that would just go down,” she said.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Aug. 27 that an impeachment inquiry is the “natural step forward” and previously threatened impeachment if the Department of Justice (DOJ) uses Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ special counsel status to obstruct congressional investigators. The White House has reportedly set up a war room of two dozen staffers in preparation for an impeachment inquiry.
The House Oversight Committee has released bank records showing the Biden family and its associates received more than $20 million from Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese, Romanian and Kazakh business associates. Hunter Biden’s former business associate Devon Archer testified to House Oversight in July that Joe Biden spoke with his son’s business partners over 20 times.
BREAKING: House Oversight released a new memo showing the Bidens took millions from Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh oligarchs. The committee has found more than $20 million in payments from foreign partners to the Biden family and its associates @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/HrJAXD3ysp
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) August 9, 2023
Archer specifically recalled a spring 2014 dinner with Russian oligarch Elena Baturina — who was married to a former mayor of Moscow — and Kazakh oligarch Kenes Rakishev. He also testified about a spring 2015 dinner with Vadim Pozharskyi, an executive with the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, which paid Hunter Biden more than $80,000 per month to sit on its board. (RELATED: Burisma Was Told To Remove Picture Of Joe Biden And Devon Archer From Its Website, Emails Show)
In addition, Archer told House Oversight that Burisma was protected from legal scrutiny by the Biden family “brand,” which he linked specifically to Joe Biden. He also said Joe Biden met with one of his son’s Chinese business associates in Beijing. Joe Biden later wrote a letter of recommendation for the business associate’s daughter’s college applications, Archer testified. After his testimony, Archer said in an interveiw with Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson that it was “categorically false” to claim Joe Biden was not aware of his son’s business dealings.
The House Ways and Means, Oversight and Judiciary Committees are investigating allegations made by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler surrounding the DOJ investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes and gun possession.
Shapley and Ziegler have testified to Congress about how the president’s son received special treatment from DOJ prosecutors who slow-walked and obstructed the investigation into the president’s son. When he testified to the House Ways and Means Committee in May, Shapley released a transcript of former Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker’s interview with the FBI, during which Walker said Joe Biden met with his son’s Chinese business partners soon after his vice presidency concluded.
Hunter Biden’s former business associate James Gilliar referred to Joe Biden as “the big guy” in a May 2017 email discussing a potential business deal.
“10 held by H for the big guy?” Gilliar said of a potential equity agreement. The emails were first reported by the New York Post. Another former Hunter Biden business associate, Tony Bobulinski, confirmed to the outlet that the “big guy” nickname referred to Joe Biden.
The DOJ and Hunter Biden’s team agreed on a plea deal and a diversion agreement for his two tax misdemeanors and a felony gun charge in June. (RELATED: These Are The Biggest Lies Joe Biden Told About Hunter’s Foreign Influence Peddling)
Hunter Biden’s plea deal collapsed in July when Delaware U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika scrutinized an immunity provision tucked into Biden’s diversion agreement, resulting in a disagreement between Biden’s defense counsel and DOJ special attorney Leo Wise over the scope of Biden’s potential immunity. The younger Biden pleaded not guilty to the tax charges and the diversion agreement was not implemented.
Emails and texts from Hunter Biden’s laptop archive indicate he frequently paid family expenses, including bills for Joe Biden while he was vice president, according to the New York Post.
“It’s really hard. But don’t worry, unlike Pop [Joe], I won’t make you give me half your salary,” Hunter Biden texted his daughter Naomi in 2019, text messages from his laptop archive show.
DOJ whistleblowers released an FBI FD-1023 form in July to Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. The document contains intelligence from a confidential source alleging that Joe and Hunter Biden received bribes from Burisma executive Mykola Zlochevsky. Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in June the FBI is investigating the contents of the FD-1023 form.
President Biden said Devon Archer’s testimony was “not true” during a confrontation with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy in early August. The White House has said the president was “not in business” with his son.