For years, Republicans have poured resources into investigating Hunter Biden’s business deals, trying to connect them to his father, President Joe Biden. But now, when it comes to the Trump family’s even bigger, more questionable business dealings, they’re taking a step back.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, wrote a letter to Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Tuesday, asking him to look into some of the Trump family’s financial ties. But Comer’s spokesperson quickly responded, suggesting it wouldn’t be a priority and calling Democrats hypocrites for raising the issue.
“Republicans exposed how Joe Biden sold out the American people by allowing his family and their cronies to profit from selling access to his influence, totaling nearly $30 million,” said Comer’s spokesperson. “If Democrats truly care about presidential ethics, they must first acknowledge the evidence we uncovered.”
Comer led the Republican-led impeachment inquiry into Biden, digging through the finances of Hunter Biden and other family members in search of proof that the president helped with their business dealings. Despite all the effort, no clear link was found between Joe Biden and his family’s business activities, and the inquiry ultimately went nowhere.
Now, Connolly is asking Comer to turn his attention to the Trump family’s financial ventures. He pointed out several troubling deals, including the launch of a crypto platform backed by foreign investors and Jared Kushner’s overseas business ties.
“Jared Kushner’s private equity firm has received billions of dollars in financial investments from Persian Gulf nations with histories of buying political influence in Washington,” Connolly wrote. He also noted that just last month, Kushner disclosed raising another $1.5 billion from the Qatar Investment Authority and a company based in Abu Dhabi.
Democrats also uncovered significant foreign spending at Trump’s properties during his presidency. Using subpoenas from before Republicans took control of the House, they found nearly $8 million in spending by foreign governments at Trump’s businesses, arguing that this violated the Constitution’s rule against presidents accepting gifts from foreign officials.
In his letter, Connolly reminded Comer that he had worked with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) on a bipartisan bill aimed at improving presidential ethics, including expanding disclosure rules for family members. While Connolly and other committee members didn’t cosponsor the bill, he called it the “gold standard for presidential ethics.” The bill went nowhere in the last Congress, and it’s unclear if Comer will try to reintroduce it.
Comer has previously said that Kushner’s post-White House business activities “crossed the line of ethics,” but so far, he’s given no indication that he plans to investigate Trump or his family. That’s not much of a surprise, considering the GOP’s loyalty to Trump — anyone who challenges him risks being sidelined in the party.
Meanwhile, Comer’s spokesperson also criticized the pardons Biden issued to his family members at the end of his presidency, calling on Democrats to condemn them. Some have, but most have kept quiet.
It’s clear that while Republicans have been quick to investigate Hunter Biden’s business deals, when it comes to Trump’s family and their even more questionable financial moves, they’re choosing to look the other way.
