On Monday, Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) refrained from calling the probe of President Joe Biden being conducted by his party a “bribery scandal.”
Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy business, when his father, Joe Biden, was vice president. For months, Republican investigators have pointed to an FBI form containing an unconfirmed report suggesting Biden was engaged in a bribery plot to benefit Burisma. Despite Republican efforts, the White House continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Last month, Republican leaders distributed a copy of the FD-1023 form used by the FBI.
Sean Hannity of Fox News asked McCarthy whether the charges amounted to a bribery conspiracy, but McCarthy dodged the question.
McCarthy answered by listing the myriad accusations Republicans have made.
McCarthy evaded Hannity’s repeated questions about whether or not the allegations constituted a bribery scandal.
Hannity asked if he felt Biden bribed his way into the white house for personal gain.
McCarthy retorted by recounting additional evidence Republicans have presented throughout their investigations, such as statements made by Devon Archer, a former business colleague of Hunter Biden, before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee just last week. Despite Archer’s claim that he was “unaware” of any impropriety on Biden’s part, he did mention that Hunter Biden had his father on speakerphone during specific conversations with colleagues.
The claims in the FD-1023 form center upon bribe payments made to two distinct Bidens, and Archer said that he was not informed of these payments.
On Tuesday, the White House issued a statement condemning McCarthy’s remarks on Fox News, claiming the Speaker was “lying” to please the far-right Republicans in his conference.
When asked about the bribery claims last month, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky) indicated he wasn’t sure whether they were true.
McCarthy has been discussing the possibility of opening an impeachment investigation on President Biden, and the debate has turned to bribery claims. Republicans have spent months trying to connect the president to his son’s business activities.
The Speaker promised to launch an impeachment investigation last month if the circumstances warranted it.
