WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Friday challenged the validity of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House of Representatives into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son.
A letter from White House Counsel Dick Sauber sent to House Republicans leading the investigation says the investigation is invalid because the House did not vote to authorize it. A copy of the letter was seen by Reuters.
“You appear so intent on impeaching the President that you have misrepresented the facts, ignored the overwhelming evidence refuting your claims, and repeatedly changed the rationale for your ‘investigation,’” Sauber wrote to House Oversight Chairman James Comer, and to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan. .
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said: “If President Biden has nothing to hide, then he should make his current and former staff available to testify before Congress over its mishandling of classified documents. »
Republicans have accused Biden of profiting from his son Hunter’s business dealings while he was vice president between 2009 and 2017.
They found no evidence of misconduct by Biden himself. The White House says Biden did nothing wrong and that Republicans have no basis to open an impeachment inquiry.
Sauber said recent subpoenas and requests for congressional testimony from various White House officials and members of the Biden family were irresponsible.
“These requests appear to be motivated by a desire to increase your number of subpoenas, as President Jordan tweeted this week, rather than a legitimate investigative interest,” Sauber said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Makini Brice; editing by Richard Chang)
Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.