What They Are Saying: The Bidens’ Changing Story on Joe Biden’s Involvement in Family Business Dealings - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

WASHINGTON—Hunter Biden yesterday defied the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and House Committee on the Judiciary’s lawful subpoenas to appear for a deposition. Instead, Hunter Biden delivered remarks to the press, taking no questions, and claimed his father, President Joe Biden, was not “financially involved” in his family’s business dealings – changing the Bidens’ narrative once again.

Joe Biden has repeatedly lied to the American people, claiming he never discussed his family’s business dealings and there was an “absolute wall” between Joe Biden’s official government duties and his family when he was Vice President. Joe Biden not only knew about his family’s business dealings but was involved in and financially benefitted from them.

“We have a simple question that I think the majority of Americans have. What did the Bidens do to receive the tens of millions of dollars from our enemies around the world? […] We expect people to honor our subpoenas.

“We are very pleased with the vote today. That send a message loud and clear to the White House: We expect you to comply with our information requests and our subpoenas,” Chairman Comer said in a press conference on CSPAN following the unanimous Republican passage of the resolution authorizing the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden (H. Res 918).

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, New York Post Editorial Board, and others in the media agree: the Bidens’ story about Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business dealings has changed.

Key Takeaways:

WSJ Editorial Board: Hunter Biden Defies a Subpoena

“The President’s son says he has nothing to hide, but his refusal to answer questions suggests otherwise. Hunter blamed his no-show on Republicans’ insistence that he initially sit for a deposition behind closed doors. […] Yet House Oversight Chairman James Comer has said he’d release a transcript of the deposition—as the committee has done with prior interviews. No witness gets to decide the contours of a Congressional subpoena.

[…]

“Notably, he used his press conference to insist twice that his father wasn’t ‘financially involved’ in his business.

“This is another rhetorical twist on the meaning of ‘involved,’ and it’s a long way from President Biden’s initial claim that he’d never ‘spoken’ to Hunter about his business.”

NYPost Editorial Board: The Biden goalpost moves (again) to Joe not ‘FINANCIALLY’ involved in Hunter’s sleaze

“Hunter Biden just moved the goalpost again on the central question of his dad’s role in his global influence-peddling business: Joe, he now says, wasn’t ‘financially involved.’

“This, when President Biden himself has shifted from claiming he ‘never discussed’ and had ‘never spoken to’ Hunter about his dealings to insisting he wasn’t ‘involved’ in his son’s business.

[…]

“Which means what, exactly? Is this an admission that, yes, he did gladhand at dinners and get on the phone to help Hunter sell his proximity to power? That no Hunter client ever paid Joe directly?”

Punchbowl News: The Hunter Biden Show

“Here is one quote from Hunter Biden’s statement that we wanted to flag: ‘My father was not financially involved in my business — not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of Burisma, not my partnership with a Chinese private businessman, not my investments at home nor abroad. And certainly not as an artist.’

“Notice Hunter Biden inserts the word ‘financially’ before describing his father’s interactions with him or his former clients. That’s a critical distinction from Joe Biden’s previous insistence he had nothing at all to do with Hunter Biden’s business dealings and goes to the heart of what Republicans are alleging.”

Washington Examiner: Five times the Hunter Biden influence peddling story changed

“Hunter Biden’s speech from the Capitol grounds on Wednesday further watered down a denial of wrongdoing that has evolved significantly since President Joe Biden first addressed the issue.

‘My father was not financially involved in my business,’ Hunter Biden said moments before defying a congressional subpoena from House Republicans who had hoped to interview the first son behind closed doors Wednesday.

“The carefully worded statement appeared to account for new evidence that suggests Joe Biden did participate in aspects of his son’s business dealings, both during his vice presidency and in the years after.”