A new report claimed that some of James Biden’s public statements about his business activities were later contradicted in private Wednesday during a closed-door interview on Capitol Hill.
Fox News, quoting what it said was “a source familiar with the interview,” said James Biden, President Joe Biden’s younger brother, said he was not part of a deal with Hunter Biden and some business associates that included Rob Walker, Tony Bobulinski, and James Gilliar.
James Biden was later presented with an agreement he had signed and told the congressional panel interviewing him he had forgotten about the agreement, the source told Fox.
Without offering details, Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona called the interview with James Biden “interesting” and said he had “contradicted himself.”
Andy Biggs: James Biden’s testimony was an ‘amazing performance’ | https://t.co/08J960VCHS
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Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida offered a similar comment.
“Let me say this. So there are a lot of things that Mr. Biden is saying that are directly contradicted by documents,” Gaetz said, without providing details.
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The voluntary interview, part of the House impeachment inquiry against the president, lasted for about eight hours.
In his opening statement, James Biden said that Joe Biden was never involved in his businesses and that he never rode his brother’s coattails during his business career.
“I have had a 50-year career in a variety of business ventures,” James Biden said.
“Joe Biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities. None,” he said.
“I have never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me, my business associates or anyone else,” he said, according to The Hill.
He said he never used his “status as Joe Biden’s brother” in business dealings.
“Those who have said or thought otherwise were either mistaken, ill-informed, or flat-out lying,” he said.
“I have nothing to hide. With my appearance here today, the Committees will have the information to conclude that the negative and destructive assumptions about me and my relationship with my brother Joe are wrong,” his opening statement concluded.
“There is no basis for this inquiry to continue,” he said.
The case Republicans have been building against the Biden family was wounded last week after an informant who claimed a vast bribery scheme existed that connected Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and a Ukrainian energy company was charged with making false claims.
The loss of that information “doesn’t change the fundamental facts,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said, according to Fox News.
