House Republicans release probe into Biden family finances

Hunter Biden (left) with his father, US President Joe Biden

House Republicans have unveiled what they say are records of $10m (£8m) in payments to members of the Biden family from foreign entities.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said Joe Biden's relatives had used the family name to enrich themselves, and the president was "involved".

The report itself does not substantiate these claims or implicate Mr Biden. It does not allege illegal conduct.

The White House called the findings "baseless innuendo".

The roughly 30-page report detailed what lawmakers say are various companies and financial records tied to family members of Mr Biden, including his son, Hunter Biden, and daughter-in-law, Hallie Biden.

It contains records of bank transactions, obtained through subpoena, that Republican lawmakers say are linked to Romania and China.

The bank records show the receipt of money from a foreign company connected to Gabriel Popoviciu, who was prosecuted for corruption in Romania, reports the New York Times.

"We believe that the president has been involved in this from the very beginning. Obviously, we're going to continue to look," Mr Comer told reporters Wednesday.

The Kentucky lawmaker also acknowledged there had been "a pattern for a long time" of questionable financial dealings by relatives of presidents from both parties.

The report does not show payments to Mr Biden. Neither does it provide explicit evidence to back up the Republican lawmakers' central claim that the business dealings influenced Mr Biden.

James Comer stopped short of alleging illegal activity

Mr Comer and his colleagues stopped short of alleging illegal activity.

"Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called 'investigations' with legitimacy," White House spokesman Ian Sams told BBC in a statement.

Republican leaders pledged to aggressively investigate Mr Biden, his administration and his family when they took over control of the US House of Representatives in last year's midterm election.

Mr Comer has faced pressure from within his party to release findings from the House Oversight Committee's ongoing inquiry into the Biden family.

Wednesday's report is the most detailed accounting yet of what House Republicans say they have uncovered.

Another Republican-led House panel released a report on the same day about a letter published by 51 former intelligence and security officials in the run-up to the 2020 White House election.

The letter suggested that US media reports about a laptop owned by Mr Biden's son, Hunter, might be part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

The judiciary committee said Antony Blinken, now US secretary of state, had led efforts to get signatures for the letter, and a CIA employee had helped.

The laptop - which came to light after it was left at a Delaware repair shop - contained evidence of Hunter Biden's drug abuse and sex life.

Federal prosecutors have been investigating Hunter Biden over issues with his taxes and a gun purchase since 2018.