Biden picks Ed Siskel, who countered Benghazi probe,

WASHINGTON — President Biden announced Tuesday that attorney Ed Siskel would be the next White House counsel ahead of a possible impeachment inquiry into Biden’s alleged role in his family’s foreign business dealings.

“Ed Siskel’s many years of experience in public service and a career defending the rule of law make him the perfect choice to serve as my next White House Counsel,” said a White House statement attributed to Biden, who is vacationing on Lake Tahoe in Nevada.

“For nearly four years in the White House when I was Vice President, he helped the Counsel’s Office navigate complex challenges and advance the President’s agenda on behalf of the American people, and first as a federal prosecutor and then as the top counsel for one of America’s biggest and most vibrant cities, his hometown of Chicago, Ed has shown a deep commitment to public service and respect for the law,” Biden added.

“His experience will let him hit the ground running as a key leader on my team as we continue making progress for the American people every day.”

Siskel was deputy White House counsel for four years under President Barack Obama and since 2019 has been chief legal officer of Chicago-based private equity fund Grosvenor Holdings LLC, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also has worked as an attorney for the city of Chicago.

As deputy White House counsel, Siskel helped handle lower-stakes House Republican investigations, including federal loans to politically connected solar panel maker Solyndra, which went bankrupt in 2011, and into the federal response to the 2012 terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

“The fact that he’s tough, respected, level-headed and meticulous and has years of experience at the White House and elsewhere in highly charged environments was a big factor,” a supporter of Siskel told CNN.

In his new role, Siskel will have to manage the president’s approach to two special counsel investigations while addressing demands for documents, such as the president’s personal bank records, from congressional Republicans.

Special counsel Robert Hur, who is investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents found at his Wilmington, Del., home and post-vice presidency office in Washington, reportedly is attempting to schedule an interview with Biden — after special counsel Jack Smith in June charged Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, for allegedly mishandling national security records.

Special counsel David Weiss, meanwhile, was elevated to his rank on Aug. 11 after a probation-only plea deal for first son Hunter Biden collapsed under scrutiny by a federal judge.

Two IRS whistleblowers accuse the Justice Department of a cover-up in the case and say Biden appointees blocked charges outside of Delaware while federal prosecutors headed off inquiries into Joe Biden’s role in his son’s lucrative foreign dealings, despite communications directly implicating him.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has said repeatedly this month that Republicans are moving closer to launching an impeachment inquiry, calling on the president to “give us his bank records” if he has nothing to hide.

The inquiry could launch as early as next month.

A House impeachment vote could be followed by the fifth Senate impeachment trial in US history, which would pore over Biden’s links to his son Hunter and brother James Biden’s ventures in countries such as China and Ukraine.

Hunter’s former business partner Devon Archer told the House Oversight Committee on July 31 that Joe Biden dined at least twice with his son’s Ukrainian, Russian and Kazakhstani associates, had coffee with his son’s Chinese partner in a state-backed investment fund, and was put on speakerphone by Hunter during about 20 business meetings.

In another challenge for Siskel, Hunter Biden faces a possible trial for alleged tax fraud and other crimes after his plea deal collapsed.

The first son’s attorneys reportedly threatened in the past to call his father as a witness if his Justice Department subordinates took the case to trial.