President Biden’s brother James was secretly recorded by the FBI during a bribery investigation of a Mississippi trial lawyer who shelled out $100,000 to his consulting firm in the late 1990s, according to a report Sunday.
Richard Scruggs, the trial lawyer, hired the D.C. consulting firm of James and Sara Biden as he sought to build support for tobacco legislation being considered by Congress in 1998, the Washington Post reported.
Neither James, 74, nor his brother, President Biden, 81, were implicated in any major criminal wrongdoing in the case. But the revelation comes amid an impeachment investigation into alleged influence peddling by the president’s relatives.
“I probably wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t the senator’s brother,” Scruggs told the Washington Post about why he gave cash to James Biden’s firm.
“Jim was never unkind about his influence,” he added. “He didn’t brag about it or talk about it. He didn’t have to do it. He was the brother of man.”
Scruggs, who was later sent to prison for another bribery scheme, had been closing in on a deal to pressure tobacco companies to shell out billions of dollars in a lawsuit alleging they withheld information that their products were addictive.
Richard “Dickie” Scruggs served approximately five years in prison. NBC
Seeking about $368 billion, Scruggs needed Congress to waive antitrust provisions as part of a settlement agreement. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) initially said in 1997 that he “was still not convinced that this deal was a good deal.”
Although he was initially reluctant, Joe Biden, who served on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee as ranking member, eventually became one of his most important supporters.
Ultimately, the bill failed to pass Congress. Biden, at the time, cited an intense campaign by the tobacco industry that he said influenced Republicans.
Lion Hall
While seeking the support of then-Delaware senator, Scruggs made multiple $10,000 payments to Lion Hall, James and Sara Biden’s consulting firm, over about a year, according to the Washington Post.
Scruggs was unsure whether James convinced his brother to support the bill, but told the Washington Post, “I hope he did.”
Sara and James Biden’s financial machinations have caught the attention of House Republican investigators. AP
A lawyer for James Biden insisted that his “work has never involved speaking to his brother or providing him with access.” The attorney did not respond to The Post’s requests for additional comment.
Lion Hall has been the focus of Republican congressional investigators looking into whether the president’s brother has used the company to leak money to the rest of the Biden family.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) flagged a $40,000 check marked “loan payment” from James to Joe in 2017.
Comer alleges that the payment was “laundered” money from CEFC, linked to the Chinese government. As evidence, Comer points to a series of transactions to the account of the president’s brother.
The White House, however, strongly rejected that idea and highlighted bank records indicating that the president did indeed provide a loan to his brother.
James Comer and Jim Jordan have been investigating the Biden family businesses. fake images
In November, the House GOP impeachment inquiry subpoenaed James and Hunter Biden to testify this month, but both skipped the appointment. Hunter Biden offered to testify publicly, but Republicans rebuffed him, insisting that he appear behind closed doors.
Last week, the GOP-led House of Representatives voted to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Biden over the alleged dealings.
Republicans have been mulling whether to hold Hunter Biden in contempt, which would then turn to the Justice Department to decide whether to press charges.
the recording
Years after the uproar over the tobacco law, FBI authorities began investigating Scruggs for an alleged bribery scheme involving alleged plans to funnel $40,000 to a local judge.
During that investigation, agents recorded phone calls, including those of James Biden, according to the report. At the time, James Biden was reportedly trying to create a company with Scruggs’ partners.
Although James Biden was never implicated in the bribery scheme, Scruggs and some of his associates were ultimately sent to prison.
A lawyer for the president’s brother insisted that he was never aware of that plan and that the nascent plans for a partnership “never got off the ground.”
President Biden is reportedly deeply upset by the attacks on his family. Corbis via Getty Images
Recordings reviewed by the Washington Post showed that many of the recorded calls in which James Biden was discussing the possible partnership.
“I told him we had formalized our relationship with you,” attorney Tim Balducci told him during a call.
“I told him about the real presence of Washington, that this was not going to be a bull…, you know, a tile hanging somewhere in the window,” he added. “That this was a real business, that Sara was going to be listed, you know, as a designated partner, an equity stake in the company, that we were changing the name of the company to include her.”
“Hunter was going to be involved and you were going to be involved.”
Scruggs told the Washington Post that he never actually intended to be part of that potential venture.
How Scruggs met the Bidens
Scruggs became friends with Biden’s brother because of his ties to Steve Patterson, an aide to former Sen. John Stennis (D-Miss.), the Washington Post reported.
Stennis was a segregationist who differed dramatically from Biden during his early days in the upper house.
The president has insisted that he was not caught up in his family’s financial maneuvers. AP
The eventual president became friends with Patterson in the years that followed, as did his brother James. Patterson reportedly connected James and Scruggs during the 1990s.
“Biden wouldn’t have met anyone in Mississippi if it weren’t for me. That’s just a fact. I take care of that,” Patterson told the outlet. “Biden loved Mississippi.”
The Post has contacted the White House for comment. Scruggs was not available for comment.
The White House has maintained that there is insufficient evidence to launch an impeachment inquiry and amplified several Republicans who have publicly expressed doubts about the investigation.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn