Washington (AP) —Intelligence officials tell lawmakers about future threats to US elections when Elise Stefanik, New York’s third Republican, who is a key member of the conference room, tries to move the discussion to a new topic. Gathered for a brief explanation. Hunter Biden laptop.
At a briefing on April 1, Stephanique, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, asked authorities if there was evidence of Russia’s involvement in releasing Biden’s laptop to the news media in the fall of 2020. rice field. Government officials a few weeks before the presidential election. Intelligence officials told Stephanique that this question would be better answered by law enforcement agencies.
The Republican widespread sentiment that Stephanik’s question shared with the Associated Press by a person who discussed a private meeting on anonymous terms remains unanswered to a question about the financial transaction of President Joe Biden’s son. It reflects. And they say they’re going to do something about it.
Republicans are preparing for a possible reinstatement as expectations for a House of Representatives and Senate win in the November elections, laying the groundwork for Hunter Biden and his commerce to become a central goal of investigation and surveillance. I’m building.
Republican legislators and staff discussed specific messages found on laptops and analysis of financial transactions, as well as issuing parliamentary summons to foreign entities involved in Hunter Biden’s payments. Of anonymity. The talks were in the early stages, but people said they included talks about bringing in Republican lawyers and former Justice Department officials to lead the investigation.
The White House is now preparing to defend the president from allegations of misconduct and claim that Republicans are being driven by opportunism. How the Democrats didn’t ask for an investigation into the foreign trade of his child and son-in-law while the Republicans performed their own business in Russia and China, as well as major campaigns and the White House role. May be pointed out.
It all raises the possibility of a messy and politically explosive confrontation between the GOP-controlled Congress and the White House. This could dig deeper into the issues of the president’s family and shape the outline of the White House’s 2024 race.
Hunter Biden Taxes and Overseas Business Already under federal investigationIn recent months, a Delaware grand jury has heard the testimony.He had never held a presidential election or a position in the White House, but of Hunter Biden. Membership on board His efforts to strike in China with a Ukrainian energy company have long been about whether he traded in his father’s public services, including the mention reported in his email to the “big guys”. I asked a question.
Joe Biden says he has never told his son about his overseas business. And there are no signs that federal investigations have somehow involved the president. The White House declined to comment, and Hunter Biden’s lawyer did not respond to the email.
Republican leaders see Hunter Biden as a unity that can bring together the various factions of the GOP and potentially satisfy those seeking more dramatic action. Some members of the hardline HouseFreedom Caucus said the Republican majority’s first business should be Joe Biden’s impeachment trial in retaliation for Trump’s two impeachments.
There is increasing debate among Republicans about encouraging the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel, people familiar with the matter said.
“I believe Hunter Biden is a national security risk, so it’s a fair match for Hunter Biden,” said James, Kentucky, who will take over the House Oversight Committee if the Republicans win the House. -Representative Comer said. “Hopefully, once I get the Gavel, I’ll take it one step further.”
In preparation, Kammer’s supervisory staff has already begun to create document requests and archive information related to the president’s son.
In October 2020, the New York Post received a copy of a laptop hard drive that Hunter Biden had taken to a Delaware computer repair shop 18 months ago and had not been recovered from Trump’s private lawyer Rudy Giuliani. I first reported that.
The story was skeptical, because of questions about the origin of laptops, including Giuliani’s involvement, and because senior officials of the Trump administration already had it. caveat Russia worked to injure Joe Biden prior to the November elections. The Kremlin was also interfering in the 2016 race by hacking a democratic email that was subsequently leaked.
Republicans of the House Intelligence Commission want to investigate the source of a widely shared letter from 50 former intelligence officials published a week after the New York Post article. The letter claimed that the laptop had “all the classic landmarks of Russian information operations,” suggesting that “Russians are involved in Hunter Biden’s email problem.”
Joe Biden said at the second presidential debate in response to Trump’s mention of “a laptop from hell” that “it’s a Russian plant that he’s blaming me for.” There are 50 intelligence officers. ” The statement went a step further than the letter, but was soon widely reported to label the laptop with disinformation. Trump and many Republicans have accused Biden of calling Russia to avoid scrutiny of his son.
No evidence has appeared since the Russian connection to a laptop or email. Declassified US intelligence on the 2020 elections claimed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had approved multiple efforts to support Trump. Russian state media said it amplified “including a story centered around his son” and “derogatory content” about Biden, and Putin “authorized” the activities of Ukrainian lawmakers who met Giuliani. He also claims to have had.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, called the claim that the Russians were behind the laptop “ridiculous.” “Intelligence and intelligence leaders need to investigate and prosecute the facts surrounding Hunter Biden’s laptop as false information,” Stephanik said in a statement. ..
Meanwhile, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Senator Chuck Glasley of Iowa published a report on his work in 2020 on behalf of Hunter Biden and the Ukrainian gas company Brisma. I ignored it, but the Justice Department and Congress need to investigate.
“The Biden administration was not completely responsive to our surveillance demands,” Grasley said.
So far, the Biden administration and many top Democrats have not publicly commented on Hunter Biden. However, the White House has already relocated its communications staff to prepare for GOP investigations of other potential targets, including the origin of Hunter Biden and the coronavirus and the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan.
Democrats are expected to claim that Hunter Biden is ultimately a distraction for most voters concerned about domestic issues. New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, current House Oversight Chairman, previewed the discussion in a statement in response to Republican counterpart Kammer.
Maloney said: “I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will focus on providing Americans rather than false anger.”
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Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.