Pardoned members of the Biden family have been targeted by Republicans

Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s last-minute pardon for the family of five comes after years of investigation by Republicans.

Mr. Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon on Monday for his brother, James Biden; Sara Biden, wife of James; Valerie Biden Owens, sister of the former president; John T. Owens, husband of Mrs. Owens; and Francis W. Biden, the youngest of the former president’s siblings.

None of the five former presidents’ families have been charged with crimes, but congressional Republicans have alleged that some of the Bidens benefited from Mr. Biden’s long tenure there. to the government.

During the campaign, President Trump announced that he had plans to use the Department of Justice to “go after” members of the Biden family.

In a statement announcing the pardon, made public 21 minutes before the end of his presidency, Mr. Biden declared that the pardon “should not be mistaken for an admission that they have committed they are mistakes, and should not be taken as confessions. regardless of the offense.

He lamented the “constant attacks and threats” against his family, adding: “unfortunately, I have no reason to believe that these attacks will end.”

Paul J. Fishman, the lawyer for James and Sara Biden, said in a statement that “they did not ask for this pardon because they have never committed a crime.” But, he added, they accepted the amnesty for the reasons stated by the former president.

Comments from congressional Republicans appeared to prove Mr. Biden’s point.

Representative James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, condemned the pardon, calling it “an admission” of corruption by the Biden family. when they sold out the American people to enrich themselves.”

Mr. Comer helped lead an investigation into Mr. Biden that focused on his family’s affairs, particularly that of former president Hunter Biden’s son.

While his father was vice president and in some cases afterward — but before Mr. Biden became president — Hunter Biden accepted millions in payments related to businesses in China, Romania and Ukraine, who have interests related to those of the US government.

Prosecutors investigated whether the younger Biden violated foreign lobbying laws and noted that they had evidence that could support such charges, but in the end they charged him with paying taxes on foreign income and the purchase of illegal firearms.

He was convicted of gun charges and pleaded guilty last year.

Last month, despite his repeated vows not to do so, his father cleared him of those offenses, as well as other offenses he “may have committed or participated in during his term.” period from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2014. 2024.”

The amnesty, which has puzzled scholars, appears to be intended to prevent prosecution for foreign or other crimes.

His uncle, James Biden, was involved in some foreign companies.

He was investigated by the FBI and IRS in 2022. He was not charged with wrongdoing.

James Biden has also been scrutinized for his involvement with Americore, a healthcare company that turned to him to help grow the business, according to testimony he gave to congressional Republicans last year as part of their investigation of the former president.

Americore filed for bankruptcy in 2019 amid federal lawsuits and investigations.

A bankruptcy trustee sued James Biden in 2022, accusing him of defaulting on more than $600,000 in debt. He later agreed to pay the trustee $350,000 to settle the lawsuit, according to court records.

The lawsuit alleges that James Biden secured the loan “based on the demonstration that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’ and that he could receive significant investment from the Middle East because of his connections political.

Republicans sought information about that deal, and his work with his nephew Hunter.

According to congressional Republican impeachment investigators who subpoenaed the Biden family’s records, in the months after Mr. Biden left the vice presidency, he received $1 million Hunter Biden from a company linked to the Chinese government, then part of it was transferred to James Biden. Other transactions highlighted by Republicans included a business owned by James and Sara Biden.

Some of the transactions were explained by prosecutors in their tax indictment against Hunter Biden, although they did not identify James Biden by name.

In June, Mr. Comer and other congressional Republicans formally requested that the Justice Department charge James Biden and Hunter Biden with lying to Congress in their testimony. those. Lawyers for Hunter and James Biden denounced the nomination as a political act.

But last week, Mr. Comer asked that Mr. Trump choose the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to take over the case against James Biden.

Mr. Comer’s subcommittee staff released a report in 2022 accusing Mr. Biden’s family of abusing his presidency. It said that Valerie Biden Owens, a longtime political adviser to her brother, signed a book deal after he became president, and that the law firm that employed Francis W. Biden was ran a newspaper ad on Inauguration Day 2021, highlighting his relationship. to the new president.

Neither the security forces nor Mrs. Owens’ husband have been accused of wrongdoing.