Republican questions if James Biden’s $200,000 payment to brother Joe was a personal loan

Republicans are ramping up scrutiny of a $200,000 ‘loan repayment’ check from James Biden to his brother Joe – made out while the family was using their last name to ‘cash in’ on foreign deals. 

Oversight Chairman James Comer – who is leading the impeachment inquiry into Joe – is pressing the White House for more information because he believes the check is the strongest evidence yet that the president was directly involved in his family’s business dealings.

According to bankruptcy court documents, James Biden took the money from his health care business Americore and sent it directly to his brother Joe Biden in 2018.

But Comer said based on the White House’s own records, there wasn’t any interest paid on the loan – which is illegal. 

It also suggests that the repayment might not have been for a loan after all, he says in a letter obtained by DailyMail.com from Comer to White House counsel Thursday.

‘The current lack of documentation leaves reason to doubt claims that this transaction was repayment for a legal loan,’ writes Comer who is demanding documents and IRS records. 

‘We request documentation clarifying the nature of this payment and whether all applicable documentation and IRS filings were properly made,’ he continues.

The documents show that in 2018, James Biden obtained $600,000 in loans from Americore. James was able to receive the loans based upon ‘representations’ that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors.’

On March 1, 2018, Americore wired a $200,000 loan into the personal bank account of James and Sara Biden. 

That same day, James Biden wrote a $200,000 check to ‘Joseph R. Biden’ from his personal account for a ‘loan repayment.’ At the time, Joe had already left the vice presidency position.

Republicans leading the investigation into the Biden family’s ‘influence peddling scheme’ that is the center of their impeachment inquiry into the president, say this personal check directly shows Joe was aware of – and included in – his family’s dealings. 

White House spokesperson Ian Sams confirmed last week that the check was indeed for a loan repayment. 

‘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!’ he wrote on X. 

However, Sams downplayed its significance, calling the information put out by the Republicans ‘failure theater’ and a ‘shiny object to distract people from how they are incapable of doing the basics of governing.’ 

According to the court documents, James made it seem as though ‘he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections.’ 

In a video put out Friday by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., he says that ‘Americore—a distressed company—loaned money to James Biden who then sent it to Joe Biden.’

‘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,’ Comer states. 

A spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the committee ‘recently’ received the documents that were a result of a September subpoena for Hunter and James’ business and personal bank records. 

The court document reviewed by DailyMail.com states: ‘On March 1, 2018, Americore Health wire transferred the sum of $200,000.00 to Defendant’s bank account at PNC Bank, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The documentation evidencing the foregoing wire transfer prepared by Americore Health references the transfer as a ‘LOAN.”

The release of the check comes weeks after Republicans held their first hearing in the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.

In September, then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched the impeachment inquiry – being led by Oversight. 

Republicans say bank records show that Biden family and associates raked in more than $20 million from China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Romania.

There are also WhatsApp messages Hunter sent to an associate claiming Joe was in the room while they were discussing business, and damning testimony from IRS and FBI whistleblowers.

As part of the GOP-led probe, they spoke with the president’s son Hunter’s ex-business partner Devon Archer, who testified that President Biden was in fact aware of his son’s dealings and sat in on at least 20 calls and multiple dinners with his son’s business partners.

Additionally, Republican have uncovered over a dozen shell companies that Hunter and at least 12 members of the Biden family used to funnel in foreign money.

Joe Biden also used various private email addresses from which he would sometimes send, receive and forward government correspondence according to emails found on Hunter Biden’s now-infamous laptop.

‘Robin Ware,’ ‘Robert L. Peters’ and ‘JRB ware’ were three pseudonyms used on emails that were about both official and family business.

The White House and the president himself have maintained that he has never been involved in Hunter’s or the rest of his family’s business dealings.