House Democrat: Evidence suggests Hunter Biden is guilty, president is not

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) suggested Tuesday that President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is “guilty,” while the president is not. 

“The evidence suggests Hunter Biden is guilty of unethical and/or illegal behavior. The evidence suggests Joe Biden is guilty of absolutely nothing more than being a father,” Philips wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Phillips’s comments come after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) announced Tuesday he has decided to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden based on the House GOP’s investigations of his family’s foreign business dealings and the prosecution of Hunter Biden. 

Phillips joins other Democrat lawmakers who have railed against McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who called it a “kangaroo court, fishing expedition and conspiracy theater rolled into one.”

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) also said Tuesday that there is no evidence linking Biden to his son’s dealings. 

Republicans have been divided over impeaching Biden, with some lawmakers clamoring about it and others saying the conference has bigger things to focus on. 

House Republicans in recent months have embarked on a widespread investigation into Hunter Biden, looking into his time on the board of a Ukrainian energy company while his father was vice president. 

The investigations have included testimony from a former business associate of Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, who testified in July to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in a closed-door meeting. Lawmakers said Archer’s testimony included assertions that Hunter Biden sold the “illusion of access” to his father, and the younger Biden sometimes put his father on speakerphone to talk to these business associates. 

Archer said he was not aware of President Biden committing any wrongdoing, but Republicans insist that this is not the case and that the Biden family received payments and gifts. 

In recent months, Phillips has encouraged a primary challenge to Biden’s reelection bid while signaling he will not challenge the incumbent in 2024.