He testified that he had kept his professional life separate from his personal relationships, saying, “I never asked my brother to take any formal action on behalf of me, my business associates, or anyone else.'' No,” he added.
The testimony comes as House Republicans struggle to uncover solid evidence that Joe Biden benefited from or was involved in the business activities of his family, particularly his younger brother and son Hunter, who will appear before the House next week. It was held in
James Biden and Hunter Biden's appearance on the Oversight and Judiciary Committee has so far been a largely exculpatory statement, despite Republican efforts to prove the president took an unfair advantage. This could give Republicans a final chance to change the course of the impeachment inquiry that has been underway. family business. Republicans argue that Biden was effectively using the presidency and its prestige to enrich his family, as he sometimes privately attended business meetings (although many of these meetings took place in the president's absence).
James Biden's opening statement offered a sweeping denial, which will be followed by several hours of closed-door questioning Wednesday afternoon that could provide more information.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, told reporters during a break in the hearing that little new ground was broken during the briefing. “We obviously haven't heard anything again that indicates that Joe Biden had any connection to Hunter Biden or James Biden's business plans,” he said. “And there's nothing that contradicts the basic understanding that we've had for months.”
He described the room and the interview as having a “calm atmosphere.”
“It feels as if everyone knows the impeachment inquiry is over,” Raskin said. “There’s a quality here that just goes through the motions.”
Republican efforts to build a case against President Biden were recently dealt a blow when special counsel David Weiss charged a former FBI informant with lying about the Bidens' business dealings. Republicans previously touted explosive claims by an informant that Ukrainian energy company executives say their father hired Hunter Biden to protect the company in various ways.
During his opening statement, James Biden revealed for the first time an explanation for repaying a $200,000 loan he made to his brother. House Republicans are focused on this deal because the money was repaid on the same day James Biden received $200,000 from a health care company that later filed for bankruptcy and sued him. is.
James Biden said his consulting work sometimes brings in extra income, and he pays for everything predictable, including tuition for his three children, in addition to unpredictable expenses like medical bills and hurricane damage to his Florida home. He said he had difficulty paying his expenses.
“In such cases, we have turned to financial institutions, friends, business partners and family for financing,” James Biden said in a statement. “Some of those obligations were reduced to writing. Others were not. Each time, we did our best to repay the debt in full. Waiver of outstanding obligations. Some people did.”
James Biden said he believed his brother had no knowledge of any loans other than those he provided.
“These were short-term loans that I received when Joe was a civilian and I paid them back within a few weeks,” he said. “He had no information at all about the source of the funds that I repaid him. The full explanation is that Joe lent me the money and I repaid it as soon as I had the funds. .”
James Biden has long been an integral part of the Biden family, often appearing in the shadows. In recent years, President Biden has described him as “my little brother Jimmy who fixes everything.” He was by his brother's side at his first wedding, was in the hospital when Joe's son Beau died, and found a neurosurgeon when Joe suffered a brain aneurysm.
“I'm a guy who will help with anything,” James Biden told the Post in an unusual 2022 interview. “When it comes to my family, I try to be as supportive as possible.” “However, this concept of 'fixer' and its negative connotations are offensive.”
He added: “The idea that I'm an underworld figure and I'm a fixer or a cleaner or I'm this or that, I'm a very concerned family member trying to protect my family in any way I can.'' ” he added. It's a very ethical method. ”
During his opening statement Wednesday, James Biden talked about the early parts of his brother's career and how it intertwines with his own. James Biden has left the University of Delaware to work full-time on his brother's Senate campaign, focusing on his fundraising. He traveled the country meeting with potential donors.
“The intensity of that process created very strong bonds. Many of the people I met during that first campaign, and in subsequent campaigns over the following years, are lifelong friends, acquaintances, and contacts of mine.” ” he said in a statement. “And in fact, many of those people knew me first and knew me much better than they knew my brother Joe.”
He also spoke of his family's grief when Joe Biden's first wife, Neilia, and their children were in a car accident shortly after the 1972 Senate election. Neilia and her baby daughter died, and Beau and Hunter were injured and spent several weeks recovering in the hospital. It was James Biden who came to the hospital to identify her body, and it was he who broke the news to Neilia's girlfriend's parents and his own parents.
At the time, he was about 15 credits short of graduating, but he said he dropped out of college to spend time with his nephews and begin a career in business.
James Biden outlined some of the businesses he has considered, including one involving his nephew Hunter. Among other things, he provided new details of a lucrative deal he and Hunter entered into with a Chinese energy conglomerate called CEFC.
He said Hunter invited him to join, but because Hunter was on the brink of addiction and divorce, “I agreed to help and stayed nearby to provide Hunter with guidance and additional spirit.'' I was hoping to be able to provide support.”
Hunter and James Biden had multiple business partners in their negotiations with the CEFC. One of them, Tony Bobulinski, became one of the few witnesses to say that Joe Biden was aware of his family's business activities.
However, James Biden said in a statement that he felt Bobulinski was “very arrogant.” He was often rude and not a good listener. He acted like a stubborn bully. And he seemed intent on taking control of the deal and undermining Hunter's role. ”
He suggested Bobulinski's derogatory remarks reflected his frustration at being removed from his contract at the time. James Biden said, “To the extent that Mr. Bobulinski said that I tried to involve, attempted to involve, or involved his brother in CEFC and any other business transactions, those allegations are It's false.”
He described it as a “simple business venture”, adding: “My brother played no role in, was not involved in, or received any benefit from the work at CEFC.”
He concluded by calling on lawmakers to close the investigation.
“It is difficult to subject my personal and professional life to such intense public scrutiny, but I am doing so in order to comply with the committee's investigation. I have nothing to hide,” James Biden said. “My presence here today will provide the committee with information to conclude that the negative and destructive assumptions about my relationship with my brother Joe are false. We will continue this investigation. There is no basis for doing so.”
