Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What specific criminal accusations have been made against Joe Biden?
Executive summary
Multiple congressional Republican investigations and public allegations have accused President Joe Biden of abusing office, lying about involvement in his family’s business, and participating in a “culture of corruption” tied to Hunter and other relatives; House investigators have referred family members for criminal prosecution [1] [2] [3]. A special counsel probe into Biden’s retention of classified documents found evidence of willful retention but concluded criminal charges were not warranted [4]. Available sources do not present an active criminal indictment charging Joe Biden with a federal crime as of the cited materials; much of the public case rests on committee reports, referrals, and disputed witness claims [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. What Republicans and House investigators have formally accused
House Oversight and related Republican-led committees have publicly asserted that Joe Biden “lied to the American people” about his knowledge of family business deals, that his family created shell companies and moved millions internationally, and that he abused public office to benefit relatives—language echoed in committee releases and an impeachment resolution [1] [2] [5]. Those Republican investigations produced criminal referrals for Hunter and James Biden and labeled the situation a “culture of corruption,” but the committee materials focus on alleged influence-peddling and financial misconduct rather than a judicial criminal conviction of the president [3] [2] [6].
2. Impeachment articles and the legal framing used by critics
The House resolution impeaching Joseph R. Biden Jr. accuses him of “abuse of power” and violations of his constitutional duties, framing many alleged actions as impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanors” tied to immigration, border enforcement, and broader governance failures; the text asserts dereliction and policy failures as part of its case [5]. This is a political-constitutional accusation distinct from a criminal indictment; impeachment articles are a congressional remedy and not, by themselves, proof of criminal guilt in a court [5]. Available sources do not describe a criminal conviction of Joe Biden stemming from those articles [5].
3. The classified-documents special counsel finding
A special counsel report found evidence that Biden “willfully” retained and shared classified materials from his time as a private citizen but explicitly concluded criminal charges were not warranted after investigation [4]. That report is the clearest public prosecutorial finding discussed in these sources: potential misconduct was identified but prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against Biden for the document matter [4].
4. Allegations stemming from alleged informant testimony and later developments
Some high-profile allegations relied on claims by an FBI informant who said Burisma executives told him Hunter Biden had been hired to protect Joe Biden, including alleged $5 million bribes; later reporting and legal action showed that informant admitted fabricating that story in a plea deal, which undercuts a major factual thread used by critics [7] [8]. The apparent retraction or guilty plea by that informant demonstrates how disputed or false testimony can shape political investigations and impeachment narratives [7] [8].
5. What has been referred to prosecutors vs. what prosecutors charged
Republican committees made criminal referrals and public accusations and provided documents and reports alleging suspicious financial activity, shell companies, and millions in transactions tied to the Biden family [2] [1]. Separately, career prosecutors and a special counsel conducted probes—David Weiss led investigations into Hunter Biden’s taxes and gun charges and defended those prosecutorial decisions—yet the sources show Weiss also said the criminal cases were the result of impartial work and criticized public attacks on the DOJ’s integrity [9]. For Joe Biden himself, the primary prosecutorial finding cited here is the special counsel’s decision not to criminally charge him over classified documents [4].
6. Limits of the reporting and competing perspectives
Republican committee releases present strong, specific allegations of corruption, financial schemes, and even requests for criminal investigations [1] [2] [3]. Independent reporting and the special counsel’s public finding offer countervailing legal judgments—namely that the documents matter did not merit criminal charges and that some central witness accounts were fabricated or recanted [4] [7] [8]. Available sources do not report a current criminal indictment or criminal conviction of Joe Biden; they report congressional allegations, committee referrals, partisan rhetoric, and prosecutorial conclusions in discrete matters [1] [5] [4] [3].
7. Bottom line for readers
The factual record in these sources shows extensive accusations by Republican investigators about influence-peddling and misuse of office, formal impeachment articles, and criminal referrals for Biden family members—but no source here documents a criminal charge or conviction against Joe Biden himself; the most consequential prosecutorial finding cited is that a special counsel declined to bring criminal charges over retained classified documents [1] [5] [4]. Readers should note the difference between political accusations, committee referrals, and independent prosecutorial decisions; some high-profile witness claims used by critics were later shown to be fabricated [7] [8].