Current:Home > ContactHouse Republicans request interview with Hunter Biden ally, entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris -WealthPro Academy
House Republicans request interview with Hunter Biden ally, entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris
View
Date:2025-04-27 19:48:58
House Republicans are turning attention in their long-running investigation of Hunter Biden to the Hollywood attorney who helped pay the unpaid taxes and penalties that have ensnared the president's son in a lengthy legal dispute with the Department of Justice, CBS News has learned.
Three committee chairmen sent a letter Wednesday requesting a transcribed interview with Kevin Morris, an attorney known for crafting the lucrative licensing deal for the creators of "South Park" and who later won a Tony award as a co-producer of the hit musical "Book of Mormon." Morris, the author of two novels and a book of short stories, is now devoting significant time to the legal and media strategy for the president's son.
A source familiar with the financial arrangements confirmed to CBS News last year that he loaned money to Hunter Biden's to pay off more than $2 million in unpaid legal bills.
"It sure seems that the Bidens get a lot of 'loans' that raise many questions," House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, Republican of Kentucky, told CBS News in a statement. "These 'loans' have occurred both during Joe Biden's presidential campaign and presidency, which raise serious ethical concerns."
The financial arrangements are between Morris and Hunter Biden, not President Biden.
Morris told CBS News he declined to offer a response at this time. A spokesperson for Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said he was reviewing the letter.
The letter to Morris from three House committee chairmen — Comer, Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan — expresses what they say is an interest in understanding "the nature and purpose of any loans to or payments on behalf of Hunter Biden that may have occurred while Joe Biden was either a candidate for public office or holding public office."
"Both public reporting and evidence reviewed by the Committees suggest that Kevin Morris had an expansive role as a financier, confidant, and would-be avenger for Hunter Biden," Smith, a Missouri Republican, said in a statement to CBS News. "It's time that Americans learn the truth about Kevin Morris's monetary contributions to the Biden family business dealings."
Congressional investigations typically need to be aimed at specific policy goals, and the letter to Morris indicates the Republican leaders are "seeking meaningful reforms to government ethics and disclosure laws that will provide necessary transparency into a Vice President's or President's immediate family members' income, assets, and financial relationships."
Several attorneys have worked on behalf of Hunter Biden in the face of political, congressional and legal fights that have dogged him, some dating back to his father's presidential campaign. But Morris has largely remained a quiet force in Hunter Biden's corner.
Morris has been engaged in discussions with Hunter Biden's attorneys, attending his court appearances, and taken such steps as conducting a forensic analysis and investigation into what happened to Hunter Biden's laptop — including how the device became public — sources familiar with his efforts say.
During a September 2022 interview by federal investigators, the president's brother, James Biden, was asked about Morris's support for Hunter Biden. According to interview notes made public by House Republicans, James Biden said "Morris had befriended" his nephew, but he "didn't know why or when this occurred."
James Biden reportedly told investigators the financial support was "significant enough" that Hunter Biden asked him "to say thank you 'on behalf of the family.'"
Morris has reportedly been pursuing a documentary project to document Hunter Biden's personal experience at the center of political and legal storms. Congressional Republicans said they wanted to know if Morris pursued any other agenda through his support of the president's son.
"Among other things, the Committees intend to understand the terms of such "loans" you made to Hunter Biden and what benefits you may have received as a result of providing financial assistance to President Biden's son," the letter says.
- In:
- United States House of Representatives
- Hunter Biden
veryGood! (663)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- 3 Chilean nationals accused of burglarizing high-end Michigan homes
- Packers vs. Giants Monday Night Football live updates: Odds, predictions, how to watch
- Boeing promotes insider to chief operating officer, putting her in the discussion about the next CEO
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- Patrick Mahomes rips NFL officiating after Kadarius Toney' offsides penalty in Chiefs' loss
- Two Nashville churches, wrecked by tornados years apart, lean on each other in storms’ wake
- Tensions between Congo and Rwanda heighten the risk of military confrontation, UN envoy says
- RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
- Closing arguments start in trial of 3 Washington state police officers charged in Black man’s death
Ranking
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Dutch official says Geert Wilders and 3 other party leaders should discuss forming a new coalition
- Work to resume at Tahiti’s legendary Olympic surfing site after uproar over damage to coral reef
- Raven-Symoné reveals her brother died of colon cancer: 'I love you, Blaize'
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Ciara Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband Russell
- Private intelligence firms say ship was attacked off Yemen as Houthi rebel threats grow
- Mashed potatoes can be a part of a healthy diet. Here's how.
Recommendation
'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
Rapper Quando Rondo charged with federal drug crimes. He was already fighting Georgia charges
Brain sample from Maine gunman to be examined for injury related to Army Reserves
The mother of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán is reported dead in Mexico
Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
Golden Globes announce 2024 nominations. See the full list of nominees.
Supreme Court declines challenge to Washington state's conversion therapy ban for minors
Three people die in a crash that authorities discovered while investigating a stolen vehicle