GOP Raising Alarm Over Joe Biden Getting $200K Loan Repayment Spurs Mockery

While House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, raised questions on Friday over President Joe Biden receiving a $20,000 loan repayment from his brother, the discovery has since spurred mockery online about the validity of the claim.

Comer, who is leading the Republican impeachment inquiry into Biden, released what he suggested was evidence proving Biden's corruption, sharing an image of a $200,000 check sent to the president by his brother James Biden and sister-in-law Sara in 2018. Labeled as a loan repayment, the check was issued on the same date in 2018 when Americore Health LLC wired $200,000 into James Biden's bank account.

Americore Health LLC wrote in a bankruptcy filing in 2022 that the president's brother received hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from them on the promise that his last name "could 'open doors' and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East, based on his political connections," CBS News reported. The president's brother later agreed to a settlement with the company for $350,000 after it sued for non-payment, the news outlet added.

In video remarks posted to X, formerly Twitter, Comer said, "A document that we're releasing today raises new questions about how President Biden personally benefited from his family's shady influence peddling of his name and their access to him."

Since Comer's remarks, many have taken to X to mock the congressman's claim, citing that the discovery of the check made out to Joe Biden was clearly indicated that the money was sent as a "loan repayment" and before he was president.

Ian Sams, the White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, in a post to X, wrote that Comer was "desperate" to distract from the ongoing inability of Republicans to select a House speaker, seemingly referring to GOP Representative Jim Jordan's failed attempts to obtain the 217 votes needed for the speakership.

"Jamie Comer is pretty desperate to try to distract from Republicans' speaker mess. It's a loan repayment from when President Biden loaned his brother money. When he was out of office in 2018, no less. It's right there on the check! Matt Gaetz was right: More "Failure Theater!" Sams wrote.

In addition, according to CBS News, James Biden's attorney, Paul Fishman, also took issue with the claim.

"The Oversight Committee's description of the $200,000 check is highly selective and misleading," Fishman said. "The Committee has the bank documents that show both the loan Jim received from his brother in January 2018 and the repayment by check six weeks later. At no time did Jim involve his brother in any of his business relationships."

Journalist Aaron Rupar also weighed in on the discovery on X and wrote, "Even taking Comer by his word, which is something you should never do, this indicates Joe Biden received a loan repayment from his brother in 2018 — when Joe wasn't in office or a candidate for one."

Representative Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, said the oversight committee is misleading the public with the claim.

"Per usual, @GOPoversight is blatantly misleading the public. @RepJamesComer concealed a $200,000 loan from Joe Biden to his brother six weeks before his brother repaid him. It's time to end this charade and focus on opening the House," the congressman wrote on X.

However, Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, defended the committee's discovery and wrote Saturday on X, "The media has spent the past two years claiming there was no actual evidence of Joe Biden's financial wrongdoings. Yesterday, the Oversight Committee unveiled a $200,000 check James Biden wrote to his brother on the same day he received a loan from a failing company. And it was even more than 10% for the Big Guy this time."

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, also defended the discovery and shared her reaction in a video on X on Friday, "We now have direct evidence that Joe Biden took direct payments from his brother, Jim Biden, in a complete money laundering scheme and this links him to foreign investment. Democrats have been giving us hell, the media has not believed our stories, on Oversight we have been investigating Joe Biden directly and his corruption through his family businesses...we now have a check for $200,000."

Comer maintains that the loan repayment raises questions about whether the president personally benefited from his family's business ventures.

"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 said in his video statement.

Newsweek has reached out to Comer, Biden and Americore Health LLC via email for further comment.