House Republicans Release Biden Family Finances Probe

Led by Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, House Republicans released a 30-page report detailing a probe into the Biden family’s finances.

The Details: The report says at least nine Biden family members received over $10 million in payments from Chinese nationals and companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and a company controlled by Romanian Gabriel Popoviciu who was prosecuted in Romania for corruption. The committee says records suggest a “clear indication of a scheme to peddle influence” where at the time Vice President Joe Biden spoke out against Romanian corruption. The report does not allege illegal conduct by the President himself.

For Context: The committee reported in March that Biden family members received $1.3 million in payments from an associate in 2017 shortly after he received payment from a Chinese company.

Key Quotes: “We believe that the president has been involved in this from the very beginning.” Comer told reporters Wednesday, “We're going to continue to look.” He also acknowledged “a pattern for a long time” of dubious financial transactions by relatives of presidents from both parties. White House spokesman Ian Sams told BBC, “Congressman Comer has a history of… spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called 'investigations' with legitimacy.”

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum framed the news much differently. Politico mostly analyzed the political circumstances surrounding the probe, and less about what the report detailed, while National Review did the opposite. BBC included both quotes listed above in its coverage.