President Biden has declined an invitation to testify in the Republican impeachment inquiry investigating him for alleged corruption. White House counsel Richard Sauber wrote a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer stating that the President has done nothing wrong and urging the House to focus on important issues rather than wasting time and resources on the impeachment inquiry. Therefore, President Biden will not be testifying.
Comer, who leads one of the House committees handling the impeachment probe, had invited President Biden to testify at a hearing last month. In his letter to the President, Comer accused Biden of being untruthful about his interactions with his son Hunter and brother James’s overseas business associates and invited him to explain this under oath. The investigation has accounted for over $24 million that has flowed from foreign sources to Biden, his family, and their business associates.
Republican lawmakers involved in the investigation allege that Hunter and James Biden sold access to the President in countries where he held influence as Vice President. Comer criticized President Biden for refusing to testify, comparing him to his son and accusing him of corrupt influence peddling. The Oversight Committee chairman expressed disappointment that President Biden was unwilling to answer questions before the American people included in the invitation letter.
The invitation included ten questions for President Biden to answer regarding his alleged contacts with his son and brother’s business associates and his knowledge of the source of money used by James Biden to pay back a loan. Comer argued that the American people deserve transparency from President Biden and accused him of lying about his relationships with his son’s business partners. He questioned why it was difficult for the White House to answer these questions and emphasized the need for truthfulness from the President.
Since President Gerald Ford in 1974, no sitting President has publicly testified before Congress, making the invitation to President Biden a long shot from the start. Despite the invitation, President Biden’s decision not to testify in the impeachment inquiry remains firm. The President continues to deny any wrongdoing in his interactions with his family’s business associates, despite evidence showing meetings with foreign contacts during and after his vice presidency. The Republican-led impeachment probe continues to investigate allegations of corruption involving the Biden family.
