The Biden impeachment inquiry is hosting a pair of Hunter Biden's former business associates to testify publicly about how the family peddled foreign influence tied to now-President Joe Biden to the tune of "billions, not millions."
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Wednesday morning his plan is to pursue criminal referrals for the wrongdoing in foreign influence peddling, because the Democrat-held Senate will not take up articles of impeachment or will just simply vote against it.
"Our goal – that is, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and me – was to make billions, not millions," jailed Hunter Biden business partner Jason Galanis will say in his opening statement Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee, a repeat of remarks he made behind closed doors.
"The entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden. Because of this access, I agreed to contribute equity ownership to them – Hunter and Devon – for no out-of-pocket cost from them in exchange for their 'relationship capital.'
"As part of the evolving and deepening partnership, Hunter Biden served as vice chairman of Burnham and brought strategic relationships to the venture, including from Kazakhstan, Russia, and China. Burnham was the focal point for integrating a 'Biden Family Office' into a largescale financial company with international influence."
Democrats are expected to attack Galanis because he was convicted for fraud and is currently in prison, but Tony Bobulinski's opening statement hailed his "impeccable military record" as making him a credible witness.
"Though the truth involving the deep corruption of the Biden family – including the malfeasance of the sitting president of the United States – might be raw and unpleasant, the American people must hear it, can handle it, and have the right to process it as they choose," Bobulinski said in his opening statement. "You are presented with two narratives in this investigation: A false one being pushed by Joe Biden, a serial liar and fabulist now under this impeachment investigation for public corruption; his brother Jim Biden, a 75-year-old man who cannot keep his lies straight, including under oath; and his son Hunter Biden, a chronic drug addict facing two indictments with twelve counts.
"You also have before you the truth, confirmed by multiple Biden family business partners over many years and backed up by mountains of irrefutable evidence, including text messages, emails, documents, and recordings."
House Republicans say the president and members of his family improperly profited from policy decisions in which Biden, a Democrat, participated while vice president from 2009-17.
The White House has said the investigation is baseless and politically motivated.
"It is obviously time to move on, Mr. Speaker," White House counsel Edward Siskel wrote in a letter to House GOP Speaker Mike Johnson last week. "This impeachment is over. There is too much important work to be done for the American people to continue wasting time on this charade."
The panel had invited Hunter Biden and business associate Devon Archer, but both declined. In a lengthy back-and-forth with the committee, Hunter Biden initially insisted on a public hearing before finally submitting to a closed-door interview.
Democrats on the House panel had invited Lev Parnas to the hearing.
A businessman, Parnas worked with former President Donald Trump's then-lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to try to uncover evidence of wrongdoing by Biden and his family in Ukraine ahead of the 2020 election in which Biden defeated Trump, a Republican.
It was unclear when House Republicans would decide on next steps in their probe. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said publicly he was considering making criminal referrals instead of drafting articles of impeachment, though he has yet to say who or what crimes those referrals would target.
The Republicans' slim House majority will likely make impeachment difficult. The chamber held a second vote last month to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the administration's top border official, after a first vote failed.
The Democrat-led Senate, which has yet to take it up, will almost certainly vote to acquit Mayorkas.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.