Sandy MaloneWashington, DC – The federal investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has expanded and investigators are probing whether tax, money laundering, and federal lobbying laws were broken by his involvement with a Chinese energy company in the run-up to his father’s Presidential campaign.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) shared documents with the Senate this week that showed one year after then-former Vice President Biden left office, his son signed a $1 million retainer agreement to represent an official of the Chinese company, CEFC, as an attorney, CBS News reported.
Hunter Biden’s client, Patrick Ho, was later convicted of international bribery and money laundering charges in connection with work he did in Africa.
The documents Grassley presented to his Senate colleagues showed Hunter Biden’s firm, which he co-ran with President Biden’s brother James Biden, received six-figure payments from CEFC, CBS News reported.
“Hunter Biden and James Biden served as the perfect vehicle by which the Chinese government could gain inroads here in the United States,” Grassley told his colleagues.
The bigger consulting deal between the Bidens and CEFC was executed on Aug. 2, 2017, The Washington Post reported.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hunter Biden was paid a one-time retainer of $500,000 and then a monthly stipend of $100,000.
The agreement said his uncle, James Biden, would be paid a $65,000 monthly fee, according to The Washington Post.
The 26-page agreement said the Bidens and the Chinese energy company would jointly pursue investments under a company named Hudson West III LLC.
Documents found on the laptop Hunter Biden abandoned at a Delaware computer shop, and corroborated by bank statements, showed that the first $5 million arrived in a Cathay Bank account held jointly by Hunter Biden and CEFC executives on Aug. 8, 2017, The Washington Post reported.
Over a 14-month period, about $4.8 million was put into an account linked to Hunter Biden, usually in increments of $165,000.
Government records showed that about $1.4 million was transferred from Hunter Biden’s account to a consulting firm run by James Biden called the Lion Hall Group, The Washington Post reported.
On Sept. 21, 2017, Hunter Biden wrote emails to his building manager at the House of Sweden in Georgetown that said he needed new signage to reflect the name “The Biden Foundation and Hudson West (CEFC-US).”
He also requested office keys for his father, Jill Biden, his Uncle James, and Chinese executive Gongwen Dong, whom he referred to as “Chairman Ye CEFC emissary” in the email, The Washington Post reported.
Hunter Biden provided former Vice President Biden’s cell phone number as a contact point for the building to reach his new office mates, according to the emails.
The building also housed the Swedish embassy and Hunter Biden with had several angry exchanges with management about his use of a side door to bring visitors into the building so they could skip the metal detectors in front, The Washington Post reported.
Hunter Biden told the property manager that one of the women, Lunden Roberts, was his “youngest daughter’s basketball mentor.”
Roberts was, in fact, the stripper who would go on to have Hunter Biden’s illegitimate child a year later.
Hunter Biden denied the baby was his until paternity tests proved otherwise, The Washington Post reported.
Records showed that while CEFC’s relationship with Hunter Biden remained active, nearly $1.4 million was transferred from Hunter to a company controlled by his Uncle James.
A report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said the transactions had been flagged for potential criminal activity, identified as possible money laundering, political corruption or other financial crimes, The Washington Post reported.
Hunter Biden signed the legal representation agreement with Ho on Sept. 18, 2017.
But when Ho was arrested two months later, he called James Biden and then hired a partner at the law firm of Krieger Kim to represent him, The Washington Post reported.
Hunter Biden was said to have little to no involvement in Ho’s defense.
Regardless, James Biden wrote to CEFC in March of 2018 to collect Hunter Biden’s $1 million retainer and provided “wiring instructions” to an account belonging to his nephew.
Bank records showed the money was deposited into Hunter Biden’s account the next morning, The Washington Post reported.
Shortly thereafter, Hunter Biden began arguing with the remaining CEFC executives over expenses he’d submitted that they claimed did not appear to be related to their business.
One of the executive’s assistants told Hunter Biden in a March 26, 2018 that the company was being dissolved and he should “take whatever money you can take, as long as the money is available to claim.”
“Take as much as possible, or figure out a way to spend them for your own benefit,” she wrote.
Bank records showed that nearly $1.4 million was transferred into Hunter Biden’s account over the ensuing six months, The Washington Post reported.
Holly Matkin
