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A series of witnesses in the House Republican impeachment inquiry against the president Joe Biden told investigators that they were not aware of any evidence of wrongdoing by the president and said they were not aware of any evidence that Mr. Biden was involved in the business ventures of his family abroad or at home, according to a Democratic staff memorandum obtained by The Independent.
The memorandum, which was prepared by staff of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, states that the series of seven witness interviews conducted over the past two months did not reveal any disparaging evidence in connection with the long-running investigation, which the Republicans opened shortly after. take control of the House last year.
Although prominent members of the Republican Party, such as Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, have suggested that their investigation found evidence of criminality on the part of Mr. Biden and his family members, the memorandum says categorically that each of the seven witnesses stated “that they were not aware of any crime”. evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of President Biden or of President Biden’s involvement in, profiteering from, or official actions in connection with his family members’ business enterprises.”
“Furthermore, none of these witnesses indicated that they expected to receive or ever received political favors from President Biden or his administration,” it continues.
“Far from providing any evidence of misconduct on the part of President Biden, these efforts have only served to add to the mountain of evidence refuting the presidents’ false claims about the president and proving that their so-called “impeachment inquiry” is based on nothing but distorted and cherry-picked evidence. selected facts and long-debunked conspiracy theories.
Excerpts from transcripts of some interviews bolster Democrats’ claim that Mr. Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan have so far found nothing against Mr. Biden.
One witness, Carol Fox, was questioned about her work overseeing the liquidation of Americore Holdings, a company for which Mr. Biden’s brother, James Biden, worked as a consultant in 2018 and 2019. James Biden’s work featured prominently in the investigation because he used part of the funds paid to him by the company to repay a loan his brother had made to him a few months earlier.
Ms. Fox told investigators she had no evidence that President Biden had anything to do with the company or discussed it with his brother.
Asked if it would be “fair to say” that she had “no direct knowledge of President Biden,” Ms. Fox replied: “That would be correct.”
Another friend and associate of James Biden, Joseph Langston, told the committee that to his knowledge, President Biden “had no involvement in his business ventures with James” and “did not receive any money from any of these companies.
He further explained that the “mere idea” of involving President Biden in any business venture was “categorically unacceptable” to James Biden and his wife, Sara Biden.
While Mr. Langston has lent money to James and Sara Biden in the past — loans that Republicans have sought to portray as an attempt to curry favor with President Biden — he told the panel that his decision to lend money to the couple had been taken “out of friendship for James Biden” only.
“None of the Bidens have ever suggested to me that, hey, you can take this relationship – or that we would participate with you in taking this relationship and using it as leverage in any matter of business, money, politics , nothing, that I knew of,” he said.
He also vigorously denied that President Biden ever received any financial benefit from the business ventures Mr. Langston entered into with James Biden, telling the panel that he would never have suggested such an arrangement because he would have been “immediately shot down “.
The failure of any of the panel’s witnesses to link President Biden to anything illegal or unethical appears to be a major blow to Mr. Comer and Mr. Jordan’s efforts to do harm politically to the president before the 2024 general elections.
The impeachment inquiry against Mr. Biden also has support from his likely opponent, the twice-impeached former president. Donald Trumpwho called for Mr. Biden’s impeachment as revenge.
