CNN
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Home Oversight Chairman James Comer mentioned in an announcement Tuesday the US Treasury Division will permit him to overview sure financial institution exercise reviews associated to members of the Biden household and their enterprise companions.
“After two months of dragging their toes, the Treasury Division is lastly offering us with entry to the suspicious exercise reviews for the Biden household and their associates’ enterprise transactions,” Comer mentioned within the assertion.
The Kentucky Republican has been in search of the financial institution data, referred to as Suspicious Exercise Studies (SARs), as a part of his probe into the Biden household enterprise dealings. He additionally just lately fired off a subpoena to Financial institution of America for extra financial institution data for 3 former associates of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son. Comer has claimed – with out providing any proof – that monetary data, notably these involving overseas enterprise offers, might present improper affect over Joe Biden.
The White Home has beforehand dismissed Comer’s probe as politically motivated. Biden has beforehand mentioned he was not concerned in any of his son’s abroad offers.
“We’re going to proceed to make use of financial institution paperwork and suspicious exercise reviews to observe the cash path to find out the extent of the Biden household’s enterprise schemes, if Joe Biden is compromised by these offers, and if there’s a nationwide safety risk,” Comer mentioned within the assertion. “If Treasury tries to stonewall our investigation once more, we are going to proceed to make use of instruments at our disposal to compel compliance.”
Based on the press assertion, Treasury has granted the committee an “in digital camera” overview of the paperwork, which implies there can be sure restrictions on how Comer and his workforce can view and entry the paperwork. An individual accustomed to the matter mentioned that overview might start as early as this week.
Comer had sought the financial institution exercise reviews for a handful of Biden relations, together with Hunter Biden, and the president’s brother and sister-in-law, James and Sara Biden. Comer had additionally requested for reviews associated to Hunter Biden’s former enterprise companions – John “Rob” Walker, Eric Schwerin and Devon Archer, in addition to any company entities linked to them.
Whereas Comer has beforehand steered the suspicious exercise reviews might level to problematic habits by Biden relations or associates, such reviews usually are not conclusive and don’t essentially point out wrongdoing. Monetary establishments file tens of millions of suspicious exercise reviews every year and few result in legislation enforcement inquiries.
The information that the committee can be allowed to entry the financial institution exercise reviews comes after Comer had scheduled a transcribed interview with a Treasury official later this week about why the division was not complying with Comer’s calls for for financial institution data. That interview has now been postponed.