WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Republicans have increased the pressure in the investigation into President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R- Calif., stated that the findings of the probes are now at the level of an impeachment inquiry. House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R- Ky., announced his intention to call for closed-door testimony from one of Hunter Biden’s former business partners.
Comer is leading the investigation, which centers around allegations that then-Vice President Joe Biden participated in a bribery scheme related to his son’s business relationship with Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R- Iowa, recently made public an FBI document that contained unverified reports of conversations between a confidential informant and the CEO of Burisma. The CEO believed that having Hunter Biden on the company’s board could help protect the company from an investigation in Ukraine.
In a tweet on Monday, the House Oversight Committee GOP stated that Hunter had put his father, then vice president, on speakerphone with his overseas business partners in at least a dozen instances.
“In one instance with Biden associate Devon Archer, two Burisma executives explicitly asked Hunter, ‘Can you ring your dad?’ We look forward to speaking with Devon Archer about this developing story,” the tweet continued.
On Monday, the White House press secretary denied the allegations.
“The answer is not going to change. The answer remains the same. The president was never in business with his son. I just don’t have anything else to add,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Hunter will be in Delaware on Wednesday to plead guilty to charges of failing to pay his taxes. He has agreed to a pre-trial diversion program to avoid jail time for lying on a gun permit about prior drug use.
Some Republicans have criticized this as a favorable deal, especially in light of recent testimony from two IRS whistleblowers alleging that Hunter received preferential treatment from the Department of Justice during the investigation.
However, the lead U.S. attorney in the case stated that he had full control over the investigation.
Overnight, the DOJ announced that the lead U.S. attorney will be available to testify in front of Congress starting in late September, expressing concern about the misrepresentation of the Hunter Biden probe.
In addition to the court hearing with Hunter, the testimony from his former business partner could also occur later this week on Capitol Hill.
Democrats continue to maintain that Republicans have not presented any substantial evidence of wrongdoing.