'Preposterous': Biden bookkeeper latest witness to shred James Comer's impeachment claims
President Joe Biden's business associate Eric Schwerin is answering questions about the former vice president's financial association with his son Hunter after the end of the administration but before he was president.
Capitol Hill CNN reporter Annie Grayer disclosed that House Republicans looking to impeach Biden for taking bribes from foreign countries, a long-time allegation that Donald Trump and his allies have claimed without evidence, yet again had their hopes dashed when they grilled Schwerin.
Speaking before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Tuesday, Schwerin read from prepared remarks that detailed his role and what he observed of the financial statements.
"As I discussed with the Oversight Committee staff when we met last year, from 2009-2017 I performed a number of administrative and bookkeeping tasks for then-Vice President Joe Biden related to his household finances. I also helped him and his accountants in the preparation of his taxes and his annual financial disclosure statements.
He continued, “I had the ability to view transactions both into and out of VP Biden’s bank accounts...I am not aware of any financial transactions or compensation that VP Biden received related to business conducted by any of his family members or their associates nor any involvement by him in their business. None."
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Schwerin said that the information being sought by chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) simply doesn't exist.
"The Oversight Committee's letter to me from February 8th of last year said that the Committee is 'investigating President Biden's knowledge and role in [Hunter's] foreign business deals,'" Schwerin recalled. "I cannot recall any requests for Vice President Biden to take any official action on behalf of any of Hunter's clients or his business deals — foreign or domestic. In fact, I am not aware of any role that Vice President Biden, as a public official or as a private citizen, had in any of Hunter's business activities. None."
He went on to say he never asked for any official actions for Hunter Biden's clients.
Further, he said that Biden often stressed to him that he wanted, "The most transparent and ethical approach consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the law. Given my awareness of his finances and the explicit directions he gave to his financial advisers, the allegation that he would engage in any improper conduct to benefit himself or his family is preposterous to me."
In a statement to the press after the testimony, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said that, once again, the House Republican impeachment inquiry has failed to deliver the evidence necessary to justify itself.
today told the Committee that he never saw evidence of any wrongdoing by President Biden and that President Biden was not involved in, did not profit from, and took no official actions in relation to any of his family members' business dealings," Raskin said of the comments.