A $200,000 check given to President Biden by his brother, James Biden, in 2018 has reemerged in a new report outlining James’s heavy reliance on the Biden family’s influence to advocate for a now-defunct hospital chain under investigation by the Department of Justice for fraud.
According to Politico’s report on Sunday, James utilized his familial connections to bolster his consulting work for Americore, a company managing rural hospitals, but failed to secure additional financing for the company before its eventual collapse.
Last year, It was revealed that Americore lent James around $600,000, with the understanding that his association with the Biden name could attract funding from the Middle East. On the same day, $200,000 of the $600,000 was transferred to James’s personal bank account, leading him to write a $200,000 check to Biden from the same account.
Although Politico’s investigation did not uncover direct involvement by President Biden in Americore or any actions taken on behalf of the firm, it highlighted how the president indirectly benefited from his brother’s work, specifically referencing the $200,000 payment.
The White House has consistently maintained that the money constituted repayment for a previous loan Biden extended to James as a private citizen, supported by redacted bank records indicating a $200,000 payment to James weeks prior from an account belonging to Biden.
However, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have stressed the significance of the payment, whether categorized as a loan or not, arguing it underscores how Biden personally profited from his family’s influence peddling and their access to him.
James Biden is scheduled to be interviewed as part of the committee’s impeachment inquiry against Biden on February 21.
Former Americore executives revealed that James had intended to offer Biden equity in the company, appoint him to its board, and highlight its success in a future presidential campaign. However, these plans never materialized due to the company’s collapse.
Americore currently faces a $100 million federal prosecution after the DOJ uncovered alleged Medicare fraud at one of its hospitals. Despite this, James has not faced any criminal charges.
In December, a Chapter 11 trustee for Americore testified before the Oversight Committee, disclosing that the $600,000 loan provided to James lacked documentation and was contingent on securing funding from the Middle East, which never materialized.
The trustee, Carol Fox, filed a lawsuit against James, accusing him of leveraging his last name to secure investment, resulting in a settlement where James agreed to repay $350,000 of the loan.
