Rep. James Comer, the ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, cited a June 13 phone call in which “Treasury officials informed committee Republican staff that they would not provide SARs to Committee Republicans unless the Democrats join the request.” “The Treasury Department refuses to release reports of suspicious activity related to Hunter Biden or his family and associates—including the President,” Comer wrote in his letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Comer initially requested records on possible suspicious activity reports, known as SARs, on May 26, and gave the department until June 8. He said in his letter on Wednesday that the Ministry of Finance has not yet delivered the documents. Suspicious activity reports are filed by financial institutions when customers make large cash transactions or transfers that could signal criminal activity, such as tax evasion or money laundering, although many such transactions are not inappropriate. Efforts to obtain similar information from 13 banks were also unsuccessful, Comer said Thursday. “Banks have also indicated that they cannot provide information without a subpoena, and we know that Democrats have no interest in overseeing this potential national security threat. When Republicans take back the House, we will use the hammer to get answers. Comer said in a statement to CBS News. A Treasury official said in an email to CBS News on Wednesday that “Treasury provides SARs to Congress in a manner that allows for robust oversight and that is consistent with how other sensitive law enforcement information is often produced.” “It is not a political process. Since the beginning of this Administration, the Treasury Department has made SARs available in response to committee requests and continues to engage in the process with each individual member seeking information,” the official said. The Treasury Department did not respond to questions sent by CBS News about Comer’s claim that the agency requires Democrats to join his request before releasing records related to Hunter Biden. Comer wrote in his May letters that House Republicans are investigating Hunter Biden “and other Biden associates and family members” to determine whether their business dealings “disrupt the national security of the United States and President Biden’s ability to leads with impartiality.” Under previous administrations, members of Congress could request copies of the SARs, but Comer wrote that House Republicans are also investigating why that access has been restricted. Congressional staffers can now only inspect these records in person and cannot make copies. “The Republican Caucus is investigating whether this change in longstanding policy is motivated by efforts to shield Hunter Biden and potentially President Biden from scrutiny,” Comer wrote. Comer’s May letter cited a CBS News report that more than 150 financial transactions involving the global business affairs of either Hunter Biden or the president’s brother James Biden were flagged as worrisome by U.S. banks for further scrutiny. Among the transactions flagged were large wire transfers. Comer’s request in May covered all SARs filed against Hunter, other members of the Biden family and their business associates. He also requested all documents and communications related to the Biden administration’s decision to limit congressional access to suspicious activity reports. In Wednesday’s letter, he also asked the Treasury Department for records that might otherwise be destroyed about the Biden family’s finances since the president’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021. Comer’s requests appear to provide the foundation for investigations the committee would pursue if Republicans take control of the House after the November elections. Comer said the committee would investigate Hunter Biden even if a federal investigation outside the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware does not lead to charges. A 2019 federal subpoena obtained by CBS News shows that the Delaware criminal investigation has sought Hunter and James Biden’s bank records dating back to 2014, when Joe Biden was vice president. President Biden said he was not involved in the business dealings of his son and brother. “I have not received a dime from any foreign source, ever in my life,” Mr. Biden said in an October 2020 presidential debate. In April, White House chief of staff Ron Klein reiterated that the president was not involved in his son’s businesses. “These are actions of Hunter and his brother, they are private matters. They don’t involve the president and it’s certainly not something that anybody in the White House is involved in,” Klein said.

Kathryn Herridge

Catherine Herridge is a senior investigative correspondent for CBS News covering national security and intelligence based in Washington, DC