Retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said that a recent allegation from a whistleblower about President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, should be investigated by Republicans and could be an “impeachable offense.”
During an interview with Fox News on Thursday night, Dershowitz said that because Republicans control Congress, they can investigate the younger Biden.
Earlier this week, the Department of Justice and Biden’s lawyers announced that they came to a plea deal in which he would plead guilty to several misdemeanor offenses—not related to longstanding Republican-backed investigations into his overseas business deals while his father was the vice president and after. The U.S. attorney involved in the case, David Weiss, said that an investigation into Biden is currently ongoing.
“That would be an impeachable offense. That would be the crime of bribery,” he said, adding that it still hasn’t been proven that his father was in the room with him while he made the demand
Because “there is probable cause,” he said, “This has to be investigated.”
Whistleblower Claims
It comes as a whistleblower asserted that the younger Biden sent a WhatsApp message to a Chinese businessman in 2017 saying that he was “sitting here with my father,” and used the older Biden’s name and connections to follow Hunter’s “direction.” The message was sent to Henry Zhao, a Chinese business associate of Hunter’s who reportedly has connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Testimony from Gary Shapley, an official at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), said that he and his fellow investigators were able to authenticate a July 2017 message that was sent via Meta-owned WhatsApp to Zhao.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” Hunter Biden wrote, according to Shapley’s testimony. He then appeared to demand that they “resolve this before it got out of hand.”
“Now means tonight,” Biden also remarked, warning that if anyone other than Zhao, “Zhang, or the chairman” tried to reach out about the matter, “I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.”
Impeachment?
It’s not clear however, if the Republican-controlled House will pursue an impeachment inquiry into President Biden’s business affairs, according to a recent comment from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Earlier this week, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) made a push to impeach Biden over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.“I just think running something on the floor isn’t fair to the American public without making the case and making the argument,” McCarthy said. He also warned that such a move would threaten GOP lawmakers’ majority in the House.
“What majority do we want to be,” McCarthy said, according to several reports. “Give it right back in two years or hold it for a decade and make real change?”
A federal judge scheduled the first court appearance for Hunter Biden, who faces tax and gun charges, for July 26 in a Delaware court. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump administration appointee, will be presiding over the case.
Christopher Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, said in a statement to news outlets that it was his understanding that the five-year investigation into the president’s son has now been resolved.
“I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” Clark said. “He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
Several weeks ago, the president was asked during an interview on MSNBC what impact there would be on the Biden presidency if Hunter Biden were to be federally charged. “It impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him,” Biden said in the interview.
