House Republicans invite Hunter Biden to testify on cobalt mining, his 'expertise' on EV batteries
The committee hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House Republicans have called on Hunter Biden to testify before Congress later this week, according to a letter from a senior House Republican.
"House Committee on Oversight and Reform Republicans request the attendance and testimony of Hunter Biden," Ranking Member James Comer said in a letter to House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney.
HUNTER BIDEN'S FOREIGN BUSINESS DEALINGS: 4 COUNTRIES WITH FINANCIAL LINKS TO PRESIDENT'S SON
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The committee hearing, titled "It’s Electric: Developing the Postal Service Fleet of the Future," is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5.
Comer went on to cite Biden’s supposed expertise in cobalt mining, which secured him a negotiating position with Chinese officials, he suggested.
China's national flag is seen in front of cranes on a construction site at a commercial district in Beijing, China, January 26, 2016. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon - RTX240F5)
"Mr. Biden is well positioned to inform the Committee about issues pertaining to African cobalt mines — a metal which is essential in the manufacturing of electric vehicles," Comer said in the letter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HUNTER BIDEN'S TIES TO CHINESE BUSINESSMAN 'SUPERCHAIRMAN' SHOULD DRAW SCRUTINY: PETER SCHWEIZER
The Ranking Member also sent the letter to an attorney representing Biden amid an ongoing FBI investigation.
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— Oversight Committee Republicans (@GOPoversight) April 1, 2022
It's time for Hunter Biden to appear before Congress.
@RepJamesComer is calling for the President's son to testify at an upcoming hearing on EVs. Since Hunter is an "expert" in cobalt mining operations, his testimony could shine a light on the importance of the metal. pic.twitter.com/ewAkAPbOAj
Hunter Biden was "part-owner of a venture involved in the $3.8 billion purchase by a Chinese conglomerate of one of the world’s largest cobalt deposits," the New York Times reported in November 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this screenshot from the DNCC’s livestream of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Hunter Biden, son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, addresses the virtual convention on August 20, 2020. The convention, which was once expected to draw 50,000 people to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is now taking place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Handout/DNCC via Getty Images)
Biden, with two American partners, joined Chinese officials in 2013 to start a private equity firm that helped finance cobalt mining operations for Chinese-controlled companies. Biden, with the American partners, controlled 30 percent of the firm, according to the report.
The mining deals included a $2.65 billion acquisition of a cobalt mine, that Chinese company China Molybdenum purchased from the American company Freeport-McMoRan, the New York Times reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}US President Joe Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, November 15, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
"It is unclear how the firm was chosen by China Molybdenum," the report added, noting China has denied intentionally working with Biden.