House Republicans issue criminal referrals for Hunter, James Biden

Republican leaders in the House on Wednesday sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland accusing President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and his brother, James Biden, of lying to Congress.

What’s this all about? House Republicans have launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden, alleging that he has had improper connections with his family members’ business dealings. Republicans accuse Biden of engaging in an influence-peddling scheme with his family.

What exactly do Republicans say Hunter and James lied about? The letter alleges that Hunter Biden lied about his connection to a company, Rosemont Seneca Bohai LLC, and an account he had at that company. It also accuses him of lying about the circumstances of a threatening text message that he sent to a business associate. James Biden allegedly lied about whether Joe Biden had ever met with Tony Bobulinski. House Republicans argued in the letter that the alleged false statements directly pertained to President Biden’s connection to and knowledge of his family members’ business dealings.

The Biden have denied wrongdoing and criticized the allegations, as have other White House officials. 

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has invited President Biden to testify before Congress about his family members’ business dealings.