Newly empowered House Republicans accuse President Joe Biden of influence peddling as part of anticipated Hunter Biden probe
- House Oversight ranking member James Comer said he's investigating President Joe Biden.
- Comer has long alleged that Hunter Biden's business dealings have compromised his father.
With their majority status now ensured for the 118th Congress, House Republicans announced Thursday that their investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings will expose influence peddling by the sitting president.
"This is an investigation of Joe Biden," House Oversight Committee ranking member James Comer told reporters at the US Capitol, adding that as chairman he planned to dig into Hunter Biden related business transactions and banking records that he claims link President Biden to foreign powers.
Ian Sams, a spokesman for the White House Counsel's Office, panned House Republicans for "wasting time and resources on political revenge."
"Instead of working with President Biden to address issues important to the American people, like lower costs, congressional Republicans' top priority is to go after President Biden with politically-motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories," Sams wrote to Insider in an email.
To date no evidence has substantiated GOP claims that Hunter Biden's work influenced policy decisions made during his father's three stints in the White House or that Joe Biden has somehow profited from Hunter's dealings.
Comer outlined plans to rake President Biden's scandal-plagued youngest son over the coals before the midterm elections, billing Hunter Biden as a national security risk.
He and other Oversight Committee members are taking things up a notch after officially flipping control of the chamber, claiming that President Biden is the "Big guy" who was intimately involved with and benefitted from Hunter's business arrangements.
The Biden administration knew this was coming and is refining its messaging and legal strategies should subpoenas or indictments start flying.