Hunter Biden's legal team rejects GOP House Oversight panel request for bank, communication records

Hunter Biden and his legal team are denying a request by the Republican-led the House Oversight committee for bank and communications records, arguing the panel lacks "oversight basis."

Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, has recently changed his legal strategy amid Republicans and others' request for materials in large part regarding his questionable overseas business dealings, taking a more assertive posture on allegations his overseas business dealings compromised U.S. national security and his father's ability to lead impartially.

Biden legal counsel Abbe Lowell on Thursday told House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer his panel "lacks a legitimate legislative purpose and oversight basis for requesting such records from Mr. Biden, who is a private citizen," according to NBC News. 

Comer has requested unclassified documents, records and communication between Hunter, the president's brother James Biden and the family’s business partner Eric Schwerin. Some of the records requested reportedly include communications among business associates and family members including the president.

“Rather than engage with you over a back-and-forth letter writing campaigns or any formal proceedings, I would offer to sit with you and your staff to see whether Mr. Biden has information that may inform some legitimate legislative purpose and be helpful to the Committee,” Lowell also reportedly said in the letter. 

Hunter Biden also faces a federal criminal investigation that reportedly focused on tax and other issues.

The committee calls its probe The Biden Family Investigation and on its official webpage says its stated mission is to look into the Biden family’s "domestic and international business dealings to determine whether these activities compromise U.S. national security and President Biden’s ability to lead with impartiality.

"Members of the Biden family have a pattern of peddling access to the highest levels of government to enrich themselves, often to the detriment of U.S. interests."