“Biden Is an International Disgrace”: Republicans Say Personal Check to Joe Biden Is Proof of an ‘Extortion Scheme’ With China

Michelle HollandNov 4, 2023

Minute Read

Republicans have accused Joe Biden of being at the center of an extremely lucrative ‘extortion scheme’ between members of his family and foreign actors, including China.

The $40,000 Direct Payment

Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) revealed a $40,000 direct payment from 2017, directed to Biden and labeled as ‘loan repayment.’ He claims that it is actually laundered money, and can be traced back to China.

An Investigation Underway

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Comer’s Oversight Committee is leading a probe into the situation and has subpoenaed James and Hunter Biden’s financial records. They say that bank records show a money trail beginning in July 2017 from CEFC to Biden’s account. The Chinese oil giant CEFC is one of Hunter Biden’s joint ventures.

‘Influence Peddling’

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The Oversight Committee has called the president’s family out for an ‘influence peddling’ operation as part of broader impeachment inquiries into Biden.

Incriminating Messages?

WhatsApp messages from August 2017 already showed Hunter Biden demanded $10 million from CEFC, and that his father was present at the time. An initial $5 million from CEFC was then put into the joint venture, before $400,000 was transferred into Hunter Biden’s Owasco, P.C.

Supposedly Suspicious Transfers

$150,000 was then transferred from Owasco into the bank account of James and Sara Biden — Joe Biden’s sister-in-law — before Sara took out $50,000 in cash and wrote a $40,000 check to Biden six days later.

Comer’s Claims

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“In taking funds sourced to a CCP-linked company that wanted to advance China’s interests, Joe Biden exposed himself to future blackmail and put America’s interests behind his own desire for money,” Comer alleged.

Conspiracy Theories

Comer’s ideas have been dismissed as “lies and conspiracy theories” by the White House, who maintain that Biden never profited from his family’s business ventures. Biden has continuously denied that Hunter has made money from China.

Not the First ‘Personal Check’

Republicans have fixated on personal checks sent to Biden before. Just last month, they revealed a $200,000 personal check from James to Joe Biden, apparently obtained from his healthcare business Americore.

Loan Repayments

Comer doubted whether these checks were really loan repayments. He said that based on White House records, no interest was paid, which is illegal. “Even if this was a personal loan repayment, it’s still troubling that Joe Biden’s ability to be paid back by his brother depended on the success of his family’s shady financial dealings,” he elaborated.

The White House Retaliates

White House spokesperson Ian Sams called the story “failure theater” and a “shiny object to distract people from how they are incapable of doing the basics of governing.”

No Wrongdoing

“It’s no coincidence they rushed out a new distraction mere minutes after yet another failed speaker vote,” Sams pointed out. He assured the public that there was “zero evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden.”

Online Reactions

The response on the internet has been mixed. Some commenters have believed Comer’s report and declared Biden corrupt. “Impeach 46!” one commenter wrote. “Biden is an international disgrace,” another said.

Questions of Biden’s Integrity

“Don’t you DARE tell me there is nothing shady here,” one person said. “Exactly how does the self-proclaimed “poorest man in Congress” have hundreds of thousands of dollars to loan out?” another commenter wondered.

Desperate Measures

Others have dismissed the claims as last resort attempts from the Republicans to take Biden down. “The smell of desperation from the clowns called today’s Republican party,” one person commented. Another called it “more anti-Biden/Dem propaganda.”

Holes in the Theory

Many expressed doubts over the legitimacy of the accusation. “I have a hard time believing Joe Biden would go to the effort of laundering $40,000 from China, or that $40,000 would influence him to do anything, given that he made several million dollars in that same year just from speeches and book deals,” someone observed.

Missing Information

One user linked reports about Biden loaning his brother James $200,000 a few months earlier, asking “Why does Comer and the Post leave out this important context?” Another lamented, “What a joke of an article. Somehow because Joe Biden provided a brief no-interest temporary loan to his brother that was repaid in full that makes Joe Biden guilty of taking Chinese funds? Furthermore, Joe Biden was a regular citizen at the time of giving out the loan.”

Ridicule for Republicans

“I think the Republicans have cried wolf enough times on Biden’s supposed corruption, that they’re going to have to find something particularly damning for anything to actually happen. This just seems like another nothingburger,” one person wrote.

Ignoring the Facts

“I believe they just want the perception. Facts and evidence be damned,” one person stated regarding the GOP’s newest campaign against Biden. “Nothing about this seems illegal,” a different commenter shared.

A Story With No Momentum

So far, the reports haven’t made much noise, and have been debunked by many as a smear attempt by a far-right publication. “Must be a slow news day if this is the best NYPost can come up with for the day,” one forum user concluded.