WASHINGTON – On Monday, President Joe Biden granted pardons to his brother James Biden and several relatives for unspecified offenses. This move is reminiscent of his earlier action in pardoning his son Hunter Biden for gun and tax charges, seemingly aimed at shielding his family from possible scrutiny.

In a statement issued just moments before he wrapped up his presidency, Biden explained that the pardons were motivated by worries over “groundless and politically charged investigations that disrupt the lives, safety, and financial well-being of those targeted and their families.”

“He emphasized that being under investigation or facing prosecution can cause serious harm to people’s reputations and finances, even when they are innocent and expected to be cleared.”

After being inaugurated, President Donald Trump remarked on these pardons, calling them “regrettable” but stated he wouldn’t comment further at that time.

“I’m not going to talk about it right now,” Trump stated. “I think it was regrettable that he did that.”

James Biden came under scrutiny from House Republicans as they pursued an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. They requested the Justice Department to file charges against James for allegedly making false statements to Congress.

However, the Republican-led report on the impeachment inquiry, generated by the Oversight and Accountability, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees, did not propose specific charges against President Biden, and lawmakers did not take a vote on impeachment articles. So far, the Justice Department hasn’t charged James Biden.

The inquiry included claims that James Biden profited financially from foreign business ventures by leveraging his brother’s name. The report also flagged his repayment of undocumented loans to President Biden as “concerning.”

Both Joe Biden and the White House insisted that the president was not involved in his brother’s or son’s business activities and did not gain from them.

What are the false statement allegations against James Biden?

The accusations about making misleading statements pertained to James Biden informing lawmakers that President Biden had never met with a business partner, Tony Bobulinski, during discussions about a deal with the Chinese firm CEFC China Energy.

However, Bobulinski provided text messages and Hunter Biden testified that Joe Biden was present at a meeting on May 3, 2017, at the Beverly Hills Hilton. According to Hunter, he and James Biden were having coffee with Bobulinski in the hotel lobby, while Joe Biden was in the area to speak at the Milken Institute’s annual conference.

“My dad went and greeted Tony,” Hunter Biden testified, recalling that they spoke about a relative of Bobulinski who had cancer.

James Biden, however, denied ever entering the hotel or meeting with Joe Biden and Bobulinski.

“Absolutely not,” James Biden testified, stating, “I recall my brother had a speaking engagement there. I didn’t go into the hotel with him.”

What were the concerns regarding loans from Joe Biden to James Biden?

House Republicans investigated the flow of millions of dollars to Joe Biden’s relatives stemming from foreign business operations. A payment of $200,000 from James Biden to his brother raised eyebrows among lawmakers.

James Biden testified that he received two interest-free loans from Joe Biden: one for $40,000 and another for $200,000, intended to settle pending bills during the years his brother served as vice president and president.

The report put forth by the impeachment inquiry highlighted the troubling lack of documentation regarding these loans.

James Biden stated he received the $40,000 loan in July 2017 and paid it back in September of that same year. He obtained the $200,000 loan in January 2018, repaying it in March with a check labeled “loan repayment.”

The larger loan was made on the same day that James Biden received $200,000 from Americore Health LLC, a healthcare firm he worked with before it went bankrupt, as noted by investigators.

James Biden explained that his role with Americore involved identifying struggling rural hospitals that could expedite care for veterans compared to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He earned a total of $600,000 from Americore, which later went bankrupt. Carol Fox, the bankruptcy trustee for Americore, testified that she was unable to substantiate what services James Biden provided, leading her to sue him for repayment. He ultimately reached a settlement to refund $350,000.

“What those services were, yeah, I can’t specifically state,” Fox testified.