FBI agents reportedly conducted secret recordings of James Biden, President Joe Biden’s younger brother, over 15 years ago as part of a bribery investigation involving a group of Mississippi lawyers.
According to a report by The Washington Post on Sunday, the recordings captured James Biden discussing potential deals with Mississippi trial attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs in 2007, including the formation of a new consulting firm. Scruggs and his associates later pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges related to a scheme to pay a $40,000 bribe to a state judge and subsequently served prison time.
Despite the FBI recordings, neither Joe Biden nor James Biden faced accusations of wrongdoing or charges in connection with the case, as emphasized in the report. The information was gathered from interviews, court records, and materials compiled by author Curtis Wilkie for his book “The Fall of the House of Zeus.” The FBI declined to comment on the revelations.
These developments come at a time when House investigators are scrutinizing the business dealings of President Biden’s family members as part of a corruption-focused impeachment inquiry. Both James Biden and Joe Biden’s son Hunter have been subpoenaed for depositions. President Biden, currently seeking re-election, has criticized House Republicans for what he characterizes as a baseless political stunt unsupported by facts.
The report details longstanding connections between Scruggs and the Bidens, including a boat trip with James Biden and flying Joe Biden on Scruggs’s private plane to a fundraiser. Scruggs had previously paid $100,000 to a firm led by James Biden and his wife Sara in 1998 for advice on a tobacco bill. Despite Joe Biden’s support for the legislation as a U.S. senator, it did not pass through Congress.
James and Sara Biden’s lawyer, Paul Fishman, asserted that James Biden’s consulting work has never involved providing access to or communicating with his brother on behalf of any client. Scruggs, in response, claimed he was unsure if James Biden discussed the tobacco legislation with his brother but expressed hope that he did. While Scruggs insisted that James Biden never exerted undue influence, he admitted he might not have hired him if he were not the senator’s brother.
