Oversight Republicans Intensify Quest for Documents on Biden Family Business Dealings

Flanked by House Republicans, U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Nov. 17, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee requested testimony by officials from the Treasury Department last week after the department failed to comply with a document request for part of the committee’s inquiry into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s family.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability first requested the documents in a letter (pdf) to the Treasury in January. When the deadline expired, Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) followed with a letter to deputy assistant secretary for oversight Isabella More on Feb. 24 requesting in-person testimony from Treasury officials.

Comer alleged that the Treasury Department is hindering the committee’s inquiry by failing to deliver the reports by the deadline of Jan. 25 and is “acting in bad faith” while delaying their production and giving no indication of when they would offer the records.

Comer asked an agency representative to testify before the committee on March 10.

Comer said the committee plans to examine why the requested records were not supplied by the Treasury Department and the department’s inability to provide a projected timeframe to offer the records.

The committee’s letter asserts that the Treasury Department is standing in the way of their ability to perform their duties, saying: “Treasury must confer with law enforcement partners, who may identify particular law enforcement conflicts or sensitivities... [T]his entire process takes considerable time to complete.”

The lawmakers went on to outline their own responsibility to act, saying:, “The Committee’s investigation requires it to review Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) generated by Biden family members’ unusual foreign or high-dollar transactions. These SARs were flagged by financial institutions to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network within the Department of the Treasury (Treasury).

“Over two weeks later—you have provided no timeframe for when any documents will be produced, including SARs that Treasury has already produced to another congressional office.”

The letter also pointed to the lawmakers’ attempts to obtain information from the Treasury Department, including the deadline to produce documents, the committee’s offer to review the SARs on camera at the treasury department, and an offer to produce SARs on a rolling basis.

“The American people deserve transparency,” Comer wrote on Twitter. “Treasury’s failure to produce requested information related to the Biden family’s influence peddling schemes is unacceptable.”

The Department of Treasury did not respond to a request for comment.