James Biden

James Brian "Jim" Biden (born 1949) is an American former nightclub owner, insurance broker, political consultant, and fundraiser. Biden is a brother of Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States. He was his brother's chief fundraiser for his 1972 Senate campaign.

Early life and education

James Biden studied at the University of Delaware for over four semesters but left without earning a degree.

Career

When Joe Biden first ran for the Senate in 1972, James' role was as a fundraiser, according to the Washington Post.

Shortly after his brother's first Senate victory, he went into the nightclub business. He and four partners ran a restaurant-lounge called Seasons Change. Finding success, he then opened another club called The Other Side.

James has been described as a "potential liability" for Joe Biden, according to the Washington Post. "His repeated efforts at business deals — sometimes using the family name or enlisting Hunter (Biden) — have not infrequently ended in recrimination, bankruptcy or lawsuits."

On November 8, 2023, House Republicans subpoenaed James Biden along with Hunter Biden, requiring them to appear before the House Oversight Committee to provide deposition, according to the Associated Press. The issuance of the subpoenas came as House Republicans looked for evidence of influence-peddling within the Biden family. An attorney for James Biden said the subpoenas were not justified, while an attorney for Hunter Biden called them a "political stunt" based on "debunked claims." The Washington Post reported that James and Sara Biden were recorded by the FBI in a 1998 bribery investigation related to a well-known Mississippi trial attorney, Richard Scruggs, who was contemplating a business partnership with James Biden.