After the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee released IRS whistleblower testimonies Thursday alleging political interference by the Justice Department in their investigation into Hunter Biden, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to answer questions related to the President’s son in a press briefing Friday.
Just days after it was announced that Hunter Biden would be pleading guilty to two felony charges for failure to pay federal taxes, U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) of the Ways and Means Committee released testimony from two IRS whistleblowers who allege Biden’s Justice Department stymied the IRS investigation.
The documents also revealed a text message sent from Hunter Biden to a Chinese businessman in which he shakes him down for a payment, while claiming his father Joe Biden is in the room with him.
[RELATED: Joe ‘Big Guy’ Biden in Room While Hunter Shook Down Chinese Businessman Henry Zhao: Whistleblower]
Despite the apparent seriousness of the allegation that then-Vice President Biden was involved in a coercive transaction with a foreign national, Biden’s Press Secretary was reluctant to respond to any questions related to Hunter Biden on Friday.
When asked what the President’s thought process was behind inviting Hunter Biden to a Thursday night White House state dinner hosted just days after he struck his plea deal, Karine Jean-Pierre said she was not going to respond to the situation.
“That’s his son, he’s a family member, it is not uncommon for family members to attend events at the White House,” Jean-Pierre said.
“As it relates to anything related to Hunter, I’m just not going to respond to it from here,” she added.
Another reporter then asked whether it was true that the President was involved in the alleged “coercive business dealing” between Hunter Biden and the Chinese national.
“I believe my colleague at the White House Counsel has answered this question already, has dealt with this, has made it very clear, I just don’t have anything to share outside of what my colleagues have shared, and so I would refer you to him and the DOJ,” Jean-Pierre said.
Reporters then followed up and asked Jean-Pierre to provide a yes-or-no answer to whether the President had been involved in Hunter Biden’s transaction with the Chinese national.
“I just answered the question,” Jean-Pierre said. “It’s not up to you how I answer the question. I just answered the question by telling you my colleagues at the White House Counsel [have] dealt with this and I would refer you to them.”
Jean-Pierre then refused to restate what the White House Counsel said in their statement, referring the reporters to their office to obtain the statement.
The White House Press Secretary said that “nothing has changed” in relation to her statement that the President stands by his 2020 denial of having ever discussed business dealings with his son.
Jean-Pierre then refused two more times to say whether the President was with his son when he sent the text message to the Chinese national, referring reporters once again to the White House Counsel and the Justice Department.
Earlier in Friday’s press briefing, Biden spokesman John Kirby also refused to comment on the IRS whistleblower revelations, and then walked out of the room.
Newsmax’s Chief White House Corresponded James Rosen read the entire text message to the briefing room, and then asked Kirby if the text message undermined the President’s 2020 affirmation that he had no involvement in his son’s overseas business dealings.
“No, and I’m not going to comment further on this,” Kirby said.
“Let me save you some breath, if you’re going to ask about this, I am not going address this issue from this podium. I’m just not going to do it,” he said before rushing off the stage.
