Hunter Biden lawyer seeks ethics probe of Greene for ‘verbal abuses’

A lawyer for Hunter Biden called Monday for a congressional ethics investigation into the behavior of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), alleging that she has repeatedly directed “unmoored verbal abuses” at the president’s son, including false accusations of human trafficking and cavorting with prostitutes.

“Representative Greene’s unethical conduct arises from her continuous verbal attacks, defamatory statements, publication of personal photos and data, and promotion of conspiracy theories about and against Robert Hunter Biden,” lawyer Abbe Lowell wrote in a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics. “None of these could possibly be deemed to be part of any legitimate legislative activity, as is clear from both the content of her statements and actions, and the forums she uses to spew her often unhinged rhetoric.”

In the letter, Lowell cited a series of social media posts, including some with videos, in which Greene baselessly accused the 53-year-old Biden of being linked to “an Eastern prostitution or human trafficking ring.”

In another example cited in the letter, Greene posted photos of Hunter Biden driving his niece and her cousin in President Biden’s convertible and falsely alleged he was “on crack” and with prostitutes.

“Not only are these statements false, defamatory, and malicious, but they are undignified from a Member of Congress and far beyond anything close to genuine legislative activities or political advocacy,” Lowell wrote.

Greene was dismissive of the letter in a post on Twitter.

“Hunter is upset over my statements,” she wrote. “Well Hunter, the entire country is pissed off about your obvious influence peddling with your Daddy’s political power.”

Greene suggested that Hunter Biden “come chat” with Republicans on the House Oversight Committee, of which she is a member. “We have a lot of questions,” Greene said.

The Office of Congressional Ethics is an independent, nonpartisan entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct by House members and, when appropriate, referring matters to the House Ethics Committee.

Hunter Biden has adopted a more aggressive posture toward his accusers amid a Justice Department investigation of him for potential gun and tax offenses and probes by the Republican-led House of his business dealings.

On Monday, Lowell also wrote to the inspector general of the Treasury Department, requesting an investigation of how “suspicious activity reports” from Hunter Biden’s bank wound up in the possession of Garrett Ziegler, a former White House official during the Trump administration. Ziegler published some of the reports on a website he operates.

Greene, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, was stripped of her congressional committee assignments shortly after she was sworn in for her past support of political violence and history of antisemitic and racist remarks.

Before taking office, Greene had claimed on social media that deadly school shootings were staged, liked posts calling for the execution of Democratic leaders and federal agents, and supported the baseless theory that space lasers owned by a Jewish cabal had caused one of California’s deadliest wildfires.

GOP leaders declined to punish Greene for the comments. The Democratic-led House later voted to remove her from committees, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the move.

Greene has also courted controversy while in office. One of former president Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, she helped spread his baseless claims that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election. Greene later told a crowd of young Republicans that she and former Trump aide Stephen K. Bannon “would have won” the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob if they had organized it.

Following the contentious election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker, which Greene supported, she was appointed to serve on the House Oversight Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee.

She has used her oversight position to accuse President Biden and his family of illegal business activities.

Last week, she was silenced by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) after calling Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a “liar” during a hearing.

During Biden’s State of the Union address in February, Greene stood up and shouted “liar” at the president as he spoke about some Republicans who favor plans to sunset Medicare and Social Security.

In his letter to the congressional ethics office, Lowell claimed that Greene has “engaged in steady, dogged verbal and defamatory attacks against Mr. Biden, and members of his family.”

“Her online statements and public appearances … are a spray of shotgun pellets of personal vitriol that are the definition of conduct that does not reflect ‘creditably on the House,’” the letter said.

Amy B Wang contributed to this report.