As he was leaving the White House, former President Joe Biden issued pardons for five of his family members, none of whom were named “Hunter.”
The five individuals—brother James and his wife, Sara; sister Valerie and her husband, John; and brother Frank—had all been involved in various influence-peddling activities similar to those that led to Hunter Biden’s previous pardon. This move was seen as Biden’s final act of loyalty to his family, who were implicated in the same kinds of schemes.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, appeared on The Drill Down podcast this week, expressing his disappointment with the situation. Comer’s committee had uncovered significant evidence linking the Biden family to influence-peddling activities that resulted in Hunter Biden’s prosecution for tax evasion, among other charges. Comer, who recently released the best-selling book All the President’s Money, discussed the findings his committee had gathered, including testimony, subpoenaed bank records, and previous research by Peter Schweizer and the Government Accountability Institute. He was asked whether there was still anything that could be done about the situation.
“The ball’s in [incoming Attorney General] Pam Bondi’s court,” Comer responded, adding, “Is the Trump administration committed to holding them accountable?”
Comer further explained the potential legal consequences for the Bidens: “The Department of Justice could nail the Bidens for violation of Foreign Agents Registration Act. They could nail the Bidens for money laundering. They could nail the Bidens for tax evasion. IRS whistleblowers [who testified to his committee] said they didn’t pay any taxes on tens of millions of dollars that we found they took from these foreign countries. The banks said they were money laundering. Everybody that knows anything knows they were violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” Comer emphasized.
When asked whether the pardons Biden issued would shield his family from any future criminal charges, Comer responded with a sharp critique. “You know, the most corrupt thing about these pardons is that they’re preemptive, broad, blunt, covering anything and everything,” he said. “It amounts to an admission that they did more than evade taxes. They were money laundering, they were violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, possibly the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The list of laws that they have broken goes on and on and on. So, you know, I think that could be tested.”
Comer also noted that, regardless of the pardons, any Biden family members who were called to testify in future congressional hearings about their actions would no longer be able to refuse based on the grounds of self-incrimination.
Eggers raised the possibility that the Biden family may have struck deals to influence Joe Biden’s decision to exit the 2024 campaign, asking Comer, “Have you ruled out the possibility that Biden family members would have been involved in negotiations over any kind of financial transaction to convince Joe Biden to step down from his reelection campaign? Would that constitute a crime? And if it would, is that also a crime they may have been just pardoned for?”
Comer responded, “I do think that’s a possibility. Having researched them over the past two years, I would put nothing past the Bidens.”
Peter Schweizer also appeared on Mark Levin’s radio show earlier in the week, where he shared his thoughts on the Bidens’ actions, stating, “If you look back at when Joe Biden had that disastrous debate with Donald Trump, and you remember afterward, there were all these calls for him to resign, and Joe Biden would not resign. He hung on for more than a month. Hunter Biden moved into the White House. Hunter Biden’s the family dealmaker. I am absolutely convinced that some exit deals were signed, that the Bidens got money from Democrat donors to go away.”
{Matzav.com}