White House deems House impeachment inquiry 'over,' President Biden formally declines to testify

The White House formally declined an invitation by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., for President Biden to attest successful relationship to his boy Hunter’s business dealings.

"As our Office has demonstrated, and you acknowledged successful a caller fundraising email, your impeachment investigation is over," Richard Sauber, typical counsel to nan president, wrote successful a missive to Comer connected Monday. "It is past clip for nan House to attraction connected nan issues that matter to nan American group alternatively than continuing to discarded clip and payer resources connected this partisan charade." 

Sauber said nan House Oversight Committee’s impeachment enquiry "has succeeded only successful turning up abundant grounds that, successful fact, nan President has done thing wrong." 

"Yet alternatively than admit this reality, your March 28, 2024, missive contains nan aforesaid litany of mendacious allegations that person been many times debunked and refuted by nan very witnesses you person called earlier your Committee and nan galore documents you person obtained," nan typical counsel told Comer. "Your insistence connected peddling these mendacious and unsupported allegations contempt ample grounds to nan contrary makes 1 point astir your investigation abundantly clear:  The facts do not matter to you." 

BIDEN IMPEACHMENT EFFORT STARTING TO 'LOSE STEAM,' HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

President Biden declined to attest nether oath astir his boy Hunter's businesses. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The National Review published a afloat transcript of nan missive besides obtained by The Associated Press and different outlets.

Reacting to President Biden’s refusal to testify, Comer issued a blistering connection connected his X account, declaring, "The pome doesn’t autumn acold from nan character successful nan Biden family." 

"Like his son, Hunter Biden, President Biden is refusing to attest successful nationalist astir nan Bidens’ corrupt power peddling," Comer wrote. "This comes arsenic nary astonishment since President Biden continues to dishonesty astir his relationships pinch his son’s business partners, moreover denying they exists erstwhile his boy said nether oath during a deposition that they did. It is unfortunate President Biden is unwilling to reply questions earlier nan American group and refuses to reply nan very simple, straightforward questions we included successful nan invitation. Why is it truthful difficult for nan White House to reply those questions? The American group merit transparency from President Biden, not much lies."

Despite providing grounds down closed doors, Hunter Biden declined to attest successful a nationalist committee alongside erstwhile business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, regarding alleged "pay-for- influence" schemes to supply entree to definite offices successful speech for payments to nan Biden family.    

Notably, Bobulinski astatine nan committee proceeding accused Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, of lying nether oath regarding nan quality of their dealings pinch nan Chinese conglomerate CEFC. 

In a March 28 letter, Comer invited President Biden to "explain, nether oath," what engagement he had successful nan Biden family businesses, claiming nan committee "has accounted for complete $24 cardinal that has flowed from overseas sources to you, your family and their business associates." 

FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is starring nan impeachment investigation into President Biden complete his family's business dealings. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The missive included questions astir Biden’s interactions pinch circumstantial overseas business officials. 

Comer told President Biden that "you person asserted your pressuring Ukraine successful 2015 to fire a authorities official investigating a institution successful which your boy has a financial liking was wholly successful statement pinch U.S. policy." 

The committee received slope records showing Hunter Biden was paid $1 cardinal per twelvemonth for his position connected nan committee of nan Ukrainian institution Burisma until Joe Biden near office, erstwhile Hunter’s net "was inexplicably trim successful half," Comer wrote. The missive specifically asks if President Biden has interacted pinch executives astatine Burisma Holdings, which was astatine nan halfway of nan indictment of a former FBI informant successful February who nan Justice Department accused of providing mendacious accusation to nan FBI.  

Tony Bobulinski, erstwhile subordinate of Hunter Biden, speaks during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee proceeding connected Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The indictment says nan erstwhile informant, Alexander Smirnov, claimed that during meetings pinch Burisma executives, they admitted to hiring Hunter to "protect us, done his dad, from each kinds of problems," and later that they had specifically paid $5 cardinal for specified protection. But nan DOJ goes connected nan declare that those events that Smirnov first reported to nan FBI Agent successful June 2020 were "fabrications." 

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Sauber, who was brought connected successful 2022 to oversee nan president’s consequence to legislature investigations into nan Biden family, is leaving nan White House early adjacent period to return to nan backstage sector. 

To switch him, nan White House is elevating his deputy, Rachel Cotton. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.