Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, is ordering a Treasury Department official to appear for a transcribed interview next week, over the department's refusal to turn over Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) involving Hunter Biden and the Biden family, or face a possible penalty of perjury.
Jonathan Davidson, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for legislative affairs, reportedly skipped last Friday's scheduled hearing with Comer and other House investigators.
Comer has subsequently scheduled a new hearing for next Tuesday; and if Davidson should have an unexcused absence for that meeting, Comer has threatened to severely punish Davidson.
"Treasury Department officials have repeatedly said that they are cooperating with the committee's request but all we've seen is obstruction," Comer stated on Tuesday. "We've offered multiple good-faith accommodations, but Treasury continues to provide excuses and employ delay tactics. We are done with the excuses and calling on Assistant Secretary Jonathan Davidson to answer questions under the penalty of perjury next week."
This isn't Comer's first battle with the Treasury Department since the Republicans seized the House majority in January.
Comer has previously requested that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hand over the suspicious banking activity reports involving Biden family members, pertaining to China, Ukraine, etc., and including President Joe Biden, son Hunter, and brother Jim.
But to date, neither Yellen nor the Treasury Department have fully complied with Comer's request.
Last September, Davidson reportedly responded to Comer's requests for information.
"The Department deeply respects the critical oversight role of Congress and remains committed to responding to appropriate requests from committees of jurisdiction," Davidson wrote during the fall, while arguing that "safeguarding Bank Secrecy Act information is critical to law enforcement efforts to investigate money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit financial activity.
"These suspicious activity reports and other BSA reports filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network contain details of financial transactions and other sensitive, nonpublic information. This is preliminary and unverified tip-and-lead information on possible violations of law," added Davidson.
And in May 2022, the Treasury Department claimed it had "made SARs available for every request we've received, regardless of party, and will continue to do so."
The above remark, however, was refuted by Comer in July. "This is not true," he wrote.
"These suspicious activity reports are important to our investigation to help us follow the money and determine the national security implications of the Biden family's shady business deals," Comer said Tuesday.
The Kentucky Republican continued: "Under previous administrations, Congress has been provided with prompt access to suspicious activity reports to inform congressional investigations, but the Biden administration has implemented a new policy to severely restrict Congress's access to SARs.
"Biden's Treasury Department's obstruction will soon compel us to use the power of the gavel to obtain these documents," Comer added.