Biden met with chairman of Chinese energy firm Hunter did business with in 2017, ex-associate testifies

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden met with the chairman of the Chinese energy firm Hunter Biden sought to create a joint venture with at the Four Seasons in Washington D.C. in 2017, a former business partner of the first son told congressional investigators.

Rob Walker, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, testified at the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees earlier this month as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

HUNTER BIDEN'S EX-ASSOCIATE TONY BOBULINSKI HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL THIS WEEK TO TESTIFY IN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Walker, during his closed-door transcribed interview, told congressional investigators that Joe Biden attended a meeting where he, Hunter Biden, their other business partners and CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming were having lunch.

"I don’t remember the exact time, but I remember being in Washington, D.C., and the former vice president stopped by. We were having lunch," Walker testified, according to a transcript of his interview reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Walker said he did not know the "exact" date, but said "it was 20-probably-17 at some point."

"I can say it was for certain he was out of office," Walker said, referring to Joe Biden being out of the Obama administration at the time of the lunch.

HUNTER BIDEN WAS PAID $100K THROUGH JOINT-VENTURE WITH CHINESE ENERGY FIRM, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIED

Walker said the lunch took place "at the Four Seasons in a restaurant in a private room."

"I’m certain—I’m certain Ye was there," Walker said, noting there were also other CEFC business partners.

Ye Jianming, at the time, was the chairman of Chinese energy company CEFC.

Walker said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss "ways we could work together."

"I don’t think we had structured a deal on how to work together at this point," Walker said, noting the meeting lasted "probably an hour and a half," but said Biden "was not" there for the entirety of the meeting.

DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED

"The former vice president was not there the entire time. He was there maybe 10 minutes," Walker said. "He spoke nice, you know, normal pleasantries. I think he probably did most of the talking and then left."

Walker testified that Biden addressed the entire group—which consisted of approximately 10 CEFC-linked individuals— during his visit.

Walker testified that the visit, and Biden’s appearance, "likely" took place before his Robinson Walker LLC received $3 million from State Energy HK Limited—a CEFC-linked entity.

But Walker maintained that Joe Biden was not involved in any of his business ventures with Hunter Biden, despite his appearance at the lunch.

Walker did, however, say that early correspondence to CEFC was sent on behalf of the group—which included himself, James Gilliar, Jim Biden, and Hunter Biden—by Hunter Biden.

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

"He had an interesting last name that would probably get people in the door," Walker said.

When pressed again as to why correspondence came from Hunter Biden, Walker testified: "It had just seemed—if a U.S. entity was going to have a foreign national represent them, It would probably make more sense to come from Hunter versus me."

"Because he’s the son of the vice president at the time, correct?" Walker was asked.

"He is the son of a vice president at the time, yes," Walker replied.

"So it made more sense to get this business deal to put him as the front-facing person, right?"

Walker replied: "Yes."

The House Oversight Committee told Fox News Digital that it can "now confirm Joe Biden met with nearly every foreign national who funneled money to his son, including Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, Romanian oligarch Kenes Rakishev, Burisma’s corporate secretary Vadym Pozharsky, Jonathan Li of BHR, and CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming."

Biden attended dinners at Washington D.C. restaurant Cafe Milano in Georgtown with Baturina, Rakishev and Pozharsky in 2014 and 2015. Biden also met with Li of BHR in China in 2013. Biden met with Ye at the meeting in 2017, according to testimony from Hunter Biden's ex-business partners Rob Walker and Devon Archer.

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

The revelations come ahead of highly-anticipated testimony from another ex-business associate of the first son--Tony Bobulinski.

Bobulinski is set to testify behind closed doors Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.

Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, said he met with Joe Biden in 2017.

Bobulinski, in December, demanded Biden "stop lying" about that meeting and called on him to "correct the record."

"Why is Joe Biden blatantly lying to the American people and the world by claiming that he did not meet with me face to face?" Bobulinski told Fox News Digital in a statement. "He should call his son Hunter and brother Jim as they can remind him of the facts. The American people deserve the truth!"

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

He added: "I call on Mr. Biden to stop lying and correct the record."

Despite Biden’s recent denials of involvement with his son’s business dealings, text messages dating back to May 2017 reveal that Biden met with Bobulinski months after he left the vice president's office. Fox News Digital first reported on the text messages and that meeting in October 2020.

The meeting on May 2, 2017, would have taken place just 11 days before the now-infamous May 13, 2017, email, which included a discussion of "remuneration packages" for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Biden as "Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC," in a reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co.

The email includes a note that "Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate." A proposed equity split references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details.

Bobulinski has repeatedly said "the big guy" was Joe Biden. IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who claimed that politics had influenced the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden, also said "the big guy" was known to be Joe Biden.

The president's brother, Jim Biden, is expected to testify on Feb. 21. Hunter Biden is expected to appear for his deposition on Feb. 28.

Hunter Biden’s ex-associate Tony Bobulinski heads to Capitol Hill this week to testify in impeachment inquiry

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, is expected to testify behind closed doors on Capitol Hill Tuesday as the latest witness in the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

A source familiar with the planning first told Fox News Digital that Bobulinski will appear on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. for a transcribed interview before both the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.

The testimony could last eight hours, according to the source.

Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, said he met with Joe Biden in 2017.

Bobulinski, in December, demanded Biden "stop lying" about that meeting and called on him to "correct the record."

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

He added: "I call on Mr. Biden to stop lying and correct the record."

Bobulinski said he is a "former decorated Naval Officer who was willing to die for this great country and held the highest security clearance issued by the Department of Energy."

Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC.

"Mrng plse let me knw if we will do early dinner w your Uncle & dad and where, also for document translation do you want it simple Chinese or traditional?" Bobulinski texted Hunter Biden on May 2, 2017.

"Not sure on dinner yet and whatever is the most common for a Chinese legal DOC," Hunter Biden replied.

"Chinese legal docs can be both, i’ll make it traditional," Bobulinski said.

Hunter replied: "Dad not in now until 11 – let’s me I and Jim meet at 10 at Beverly Hilton where he’s staying."

BOBULINSKI OFFERED TO TESTIFY AT HUNTER BIDEN GRAND JURY BUT 'NEVER HEARD BACK': SOURCE

Later, Bobulinski sent a text to Jim Biden, Joe Biden's brother, on the same day, May 2, 2017, saying: "Great to meet u and spend some time together, please thank Joe for his time, was great to talk thx Tony b."

The following day, May 3, 2017, Bobulinski sent another text to Jim Biden, saying: "Morning, please let me know all set for things this mrng. I don't have credentials to get into Milken so just want to make sure not an issue to get me in, where should we meet this mrng?"

"Milken" was in reference to the 2017 Global Conference, which, in part, was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, according to the program directory.

Joe Biden, on May 3, 2017, spoke at the conference, hosting "A Conversation with the 47th Vice President of the United States Joe Biden."

HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS LIMITED QUESTIONS ABOUT 'DAD,' 'BIG GUY' DESPITE FBI, IRS OBJECTIONS: WHISTLEBLOWER

The email includes a note that "Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate." A proposed equity split references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details.

The president, in December, was asked whether he had communicated with his son's business partners. The question came after Fox News Digital first reported that IRS whistleblowers turned over metadata to the House Ways & Means Committee revealing that he had used an email alias to communicate hundreds of times with Hunter Biden and his business associate Eric Schwerin during his time as vice president.

"I did not, they’re lies. It’s a bunch of lies," Biden said Wednesday at the White House.

Bobulinski last year suggested that he and President Biden, Hunter Biden and James Biden "appear together" before Congress for a public hearing.

His suggestion came after Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell sent a letter to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, claiming that Bobulinski lied to the FBI during an interview Oct. 23, 2020, about his business dealings with the president’s son.

James Biden is set to appear for his deposition on Capitol Hill on Feb. 21. Hunter Biden is set to appear on Feb. 28. Both Bidens were subpoenaed and will testify behind closed doors.

Biden retained records related to Ukraine, China; Comer demands ‘unfettered access’ amid impeachment inquiry

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden retained documents marked "secret" and "confidential" related to Ukraine and China, according to Special Counsel Robert Hur's report.

Hur, who released his report to the public on Thursday after months of investigating, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents — and stated that he wouldn't bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office.

Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other records related to national security and foreign policy, which Hur said implicated "sensitive intelligence sources and methods."

SPECIAL COUNSEL CALLS BIDEN 'SYMPATHETIC, WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY,' BRINGS NO CHARGES

But Biden also kept classified documents related to Ukraine and China.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who is currently co-leading the impeachment inquiry against Biden, had asked Hur last year if any of the classified records Biden held were related to the countries that his family conducted business with.

Comer is now demanding "unfettered access to these documents to determine if President Biden’s retention of sensitive materials were used to help the Bidens’ influence peddling."

Hunter Biden, joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings in June 2014. Hunter Biden also had joint business ventures with Chinese energy firms.

COMER DEMANDS ANSWERS ON WHETHER BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS MENTION COUNTRIES RELATED TO FAMILY BUSINESS DEALS

With regard to the Ukraine documents, according to the special counsel report, Biden kept a September 2014 memo with the subject line "U.S. Energy Assistance to Ukraine." That memo was marked as confidential.

Biden, at the time, did run U.S.-Ukraine policy.

The report also states that the FBI located a green file folder Biden kept, labeled "Ukraine 2/19/15." That folder was inside an "unlabeled green hanging folder." Also, inside that folder was a red file folder labeled "VP Personal."

In the "VP Personal" file folder was a telephone call sheet from Dec. 12, 2015, and talking points for a call with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk. There is a handwritten note attached addressed to Biden’s executive assistant that states: "Get copy of this conversation from Sit Rm for my Records please." The note is signed "Joe." That document was marked as "Secret."

Attached to that document was another, dated Dec. 11, 2015. The report describes that document as "a transcript documenting the substance of a Dec. 11, 2015 call between Mr. Biden and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk." The document is marked "CONFIDENTIAL" and "EYES ONLY DO NOT COPY."

NO CHARGES FOR BIDEN AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE INTO IMPROPER HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

The special counsel’s report analyzes the documents, saying there "is reasonable doubt that Mr. Biden willfully retained" the documents.

"Mr. Biden's handwritten note does not request that executive assistant save the classified call sheet containing talking points for the call (A9) in his records; rather, he only requested the transcript of the phone call itself," the report states. "And no jury could reasonably find that the substance of the call between Mr. Biden and the Ukrainian Prime Minister was national defense information."

The report states that Biden and the Ukrainian prime minister "exchanged pleasantries and the Prime Minister heaped praise upon Mr. Biden for his December 9, 2015 speech to Ukraine's parliament."

"They did not engage in a substantive policy discussion. There may be technical or nuanced reasons to maintain the classification of the call, but no reasonable jury could conclude the call or its contents were national defense information after the end of Obama administration, or that by asking for a transcript of the call Biden intended to retain national defense information," the report states.

Biden, on Dec. 9, 2015, gave a speech in which he discussed corruption in Ukraine.

"And it’s not enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a special prosecutor fighting corruption," Biden said in the speech. "The Office of the General Prosecutor desperately needs reform."

In that speech, Biden also said Ukraine’s "energy sector needs to be competitive, ruled by market principles — not sweetheart deals."

"It’s not enough to push through laws to increase transparency with regard to official sources of income," he said. "Senior elected officials have to remove all conflicts between their business interest and their government responsibilities. Every other democracy in the world — that system pertains."

At the time, Burisma Holdings was under investigation by Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Several months later, in March 2016, Biden successfully pressured Ukraine to remove Shokin. At the time Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, Hunter had a highly lucrative role on the board receiving tens of thousands of dollars per month.

Biden, at the time, threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED' BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

"I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion. I’m going to be leaving here in,' I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’" Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.

"Well, son of a b----, he got fired," Biden said during the event. "And they put in place someone who was solid at the time."

Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

But Comer blasted the discovery of this information as "concerning" and questioned the timeline.

"It’s no secret Hunter Biden made millions by sitting on the board of Burisma when Joe Biden was Vice President and that Burisma benefited from the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin," Comer told Fox News Digital, saying it is "concerning Joe Biden retained classified materials related to Ukraine around the same timeframe he called for the firing of Viktor Shokin."

"The Justice Department must provide Congress with unfettered access to these documents to determine if President Biden’s retention of sensitive materials were used to help the Bidens’ influencing peddling schemes," Comer said.

Meanwhile, with regard to China, Biden retained a memo with the subject, "Engagement with China in the Second Term." That document "suggests activities Vice President Biden could do in his second term to "build on my work last year by engaging with China’s leaders in the second term." The document was marked as confidential.

Comer’s investigation and the House impeachment inquiry is probing Hunter Biden and James Biden’s Chinese business dealings, and whether Joe Biden was involved or had knowledge of the ventures.

Hunter Biden was paid $100K through joint-venture with Chinese energy firm, ex-associate testified

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden was paid $100,000 a month and James Biden was paid $65,000 a month in 2017 from their joint-venture with Chinese Communist Party-linked Chinese energy firm CEFC, a former associate testified to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.

Mervyn Yan, who testified behind closed doors at the committees last month, said he did not know the nature of the work the Bidens provided, according to a transcript of the testimony obtained by Fox News Digital.

FORMER HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATE TONY BOBULINSKI TO TESTIFY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AS PART OF IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Yan testified that he met Hunter Biden and James Biden in May 2017 through a CEFC business partner Gongwen Dong, also known as "Kevin." Yan said that meeting lasted less than 15 minutes, but that it was the impetus for the joint-business venture, Hudson West III, with the Bidens.

Yan said the business venture was intended to facilitate the investment of Chinese energy infrastructure firms – like CEFC – into U.S. energy companies in exchange for energy exports to China.

"It was in May 2017, four of us. And then Kevin asked me to come to a meeting. And then eventually we met. I met Hunter Biden and James Biden and Kevin, just four of us… in Midtown. That was a relatively quick meeting, roughly 15 minutes, because I noticed the time because I couldn’t even get a water in that place," Yan told the committees.

DEMOCRATS BLAST IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AFTER GOP WITNESS SAYS HE WAS 'UNAWARE' OF JOE BIDEN'S ROLE IN FAMILY BIZ

"So basically we shake hands and basically say we can work together," Yan continued, adding that he would be "sort of like on-the-ground person who executes and pretty much sources the infrastructure deals." Yan said he would be "working closely with Hunter."

Yan was asked what he thought Hunter Biden "brought to the table" in the joint-venture.

"I don’t know," Yan testified. "I don’t know what he can contribute."

Yan said he did not know if Hunter Biden had "knowledge" in the energy infrastructure field.

Yan said Hunter Biden was given a $500,000 retainer, and then paid $100,000 per month. Yan also testified that Hunter Biden had been working for CEFC prior to their introductory meeting, but did not know for how long.

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

Hunter Biden, though, in correspondence that was shown to Yan during his interview last month, initially requested $30 million for introductions in the industry.

Fox News Digital last year reported correspondence between Hunter Biden and Gongwen Dong, in which the first son demands $10 million to "further the interest" of the joint-venture, saying that the "Bidens are the best I know at doing exactly" what the chairman of the CCP-linked firm wanted.

"The Biden's [sic] are the best I know at doing exactly what the Chairman wants from this partnership," Hunter Biden writes in the WhatsApp message. "Please let’s not quibble over peanuts."

According to a September 2020 report released by the Senate Homeland Security Committee and Senate Finance Committee on their investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, Ye Jianming, Gongwen Dong and other Chinese nationals that Hunter Biden had business associations with were linked to the Chinese Communist government and the People's Liberation Army.

That Senate report, showed that on Aug. 8, 2017, just days after this WhatsApp message, CEFC wired nearly $5 million to the bank account for Hudson West III, a firm that Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates.

"These funds may have originated from a loan issued from the account of a company called Northern International Capital Holdings, a Hong Kong-based investment company identified at one time as a ‘substantial shareholder’ in CEFC International Limited along with Ye," the report stated. "It is unclear whether Hunter Biden was a half-owner of Hudson West III at the time."

The report also stated, "the same day the $5 million was received, and continuing through Sept. 25, 2018, Hudson West III sent request payments to Owasco, Hunter Biden’s firm." The report stated the payments were described as consulting fees and reached "$4,790,375.25 in just over a year."

Meanwhile, Yan testified that none of the five infrastructure deals he worked on with the Bidens in 2017 came to fruition, but said Hunter and James Biden were still compensated for their work in attempting to bring business.

Yan testified as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Yan told congressional investigators that Joe Biden was not involved in the joint-venture, and said neither Hunter nor James Biden ever suggested he would be involved.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

Yan also testified that he was not aware of any funds from the joint-venture going to Joe Biden. Yan maintained that he was never in contact with Joe Biden, and that Hunter and James Biden did not discuss the then-former vice president in their conversations.

Yan was pointedly asked if he was ever told that he could receive political favors from Joe Biden if he engaged in business with Hunter Biden, to which he replied in the negative.

"Did you engage in a business relationship with Hunter and James with the expectation that you would receive political favors from Joe Biden?" Yan was asked.

"No," Yan said.

After his interview last month, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., pointed to Yan’s testimony in which he "admitted on the record the Bidens had no experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors and was not sure what they brought to the table."

Comer has stressed that evidence collected by congressional investigators reveals that President Biden "was at least aware of some of his family’s business ventures and sought to influence potential business deals that financially benefited his family."

Yan’s testimony came as the committee continues to interview former business associates of Hunter Biden. Next up is Tony Bobulinski on Feb. 13. Then, James Biden will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 21, and Hunter Biden's deposition is set for Feb. 28.

Former Hunter Biden associate Tony Bobulinski to testify behind closed doors part of impeachment inquiry

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, is expected to testify behind closed doors on Capitol Hill next week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, Fox News Digital has learned.

A source familiar with the planning told Fox News Digital that Bobulinski will appear on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. for his transcribed interview before both the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.

The source said his interview is expected to last eight hours.

Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, said he met with Joe Biden in 2017.

Bobulinski, in December, demanded Biden "stop lying" about that meeting and called on him to "correct the record."

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

He added: "I call on Mr. Biden to stop lying and correct the record."

Bobulinski said he is a "former decorated Naval Officer who was willing to die for this great country and held the highest security clearance issued by the Department of Energy."

Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

House Oversight, Judiciary to hear testimony from another Biden family biz associate amid impeachment inquiry

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The House Oversight and Judiciary committees are expected to hear testimony from another Biden family business associate Thursday.

Joey Langston is expected to appear before the committees Thursday morning on Capitol Hill for a closed-door, transcribed interview.

Langston is said to have hosted fundraisers for Joe Biden and donated thousands to his political campaigns.

The House Oversight Committee says Langston pleaded guilty in 2008 to participating in a conspiracy to attempt to influence a judge by providing the judge with "favorable consideration" for a federal judgeship. Langston was sentenced to three years in federal prison and fined $250,000.

ERIC SCHWERIN 'NOT AWARE' OF JOE BIDEN ROLE IN HUNTER'S BIZ; EX-ASSOCIATE BLASTS 'CAREFULLY WORDED' TESTIMONY

The Mississippi state bar then disbarred him from practicing law. And, in 2016, a federal judge denied his requests to have his "conviction for conspiring to bribe a judge thrown out" and to have his "record cleared."

But the House Oversight Committee says it obtained bank records revealing that after Langston lost his appeal, his company, Langston Law Firm Consulting Inc., began making payments, totaling more than $200,000, to James and Sara Biden directly, and to their entity, Lion Hall Group.

The committee says it is "interested in the nature and purpose of these payments, which totaled $187,000 while Joe Biden was serving as vice president."

HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE ROB WALKER SAYS JOE BIDEN WAS 'NEVER INVOLVED' IN BUSINESS DEALINGS

House Republicans hope the witnesses can provide information on whether, among other things, Joe Biden, as vice president and/or president, "took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy; abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

DEMOCRATS BLAST IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AFTER GOP WITNESS SAYS HE WAS 'UNAWARE' OF JOE BIDEN'S ROLE IN FAMILY BIZ

Langston’s testimony comes after Hunter Biden business associates like Eric Schwerin, Rob Walker and Mervyn Yan all appeared for their own transcribed interviews before the committee. Their testimony was sought by House Republicans as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

So far, Yan, Walker and Schwerin have testified that they were not aware of any involvement President Biden had in his son’s business dealings.

Langston’s expected testimony comes ahead of a deposition of President Biden’s brother, James Biden’s, which is scheduled for Feb. 21. The committees subpoenaed Biden last year.

Hunter Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition Dec. 13 and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement earlier this month that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition Feb. 28.

Eric Schwerin ‘not aware’ of Joe Biden role in Hunter’s biz; ex-associate blasts ‘carefully worded’ testimony

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden’s business partner Eric Schwerin told congressional investigators Tuesday that he did not have insight into foreign payments the Biden family received, and said he is "not aware" of any role President Biden had in Hunter Biden’s business activities, sources familiar told Fox News Digital.

Schwerin appeared behind closed doors for a transcribed interview before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees Tuesday as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

In his opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital, Schwerin told the committee that he "performed a number of administrative and bookkeeping tasks for then-Vice President Joe Biden related to his household finances" between 2009 and 2017. Schwerin testified he also helped Biden’s accountants in their preparation of his taxes and his annual financial disclosure statements.

One of Schwerin's former business associates told Fox News Digital that Schwerin's opening statement sounded "coordinated," adding that emails and transactions could contradict Schwerin's "carefully worded" statement when pressed by House Oversight investigators.

HOUSE GOP TO HEAR ADDITIONAL WITNESS TESTIMONY FROM HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS PARTNERS AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Schwerin’s interview before the committees Tuesday was his first formal testimony. He met with staff of the House Oversight Committee last March.

Schwerin said he met Hunter Biden while working in the Clinton administration at the Commerce Department, and after government service, joined the first son at a law and lobbying firm.

Schwerin co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners along with Hunter Biden and other colleagues – a firm he described as a "consulting and investment firm that offered development and public policy advisory services to a wide range of clients."

HUNTER BIDEN PAID JOE BIDEN FROM ACCOUNT FOR BIZ THAT RECEIVED PAYMENTS FROM CHINA: COMER

"In the course of performing these duties, I had the ability to view transactions both into and out of Vice President Biden’s bank accounts while he was vice president," Schwerin said in his opening statement. "Based on that insight, I am not aware of any financial transactions or compensation that Vice President Biden received related to business conducted by any of his family members or their associates nor any involvement by him in their businesses. None."

Schwerin also said he "cannot recall any requests for Vice President Biden to take any official action on behalf of any of Hunter’s clients or his business deals – foreign or domestic."

"In fact, I am not aware of any role that Vice President Biden, as a public official or a private citizen, had in any of Hunter’s business activities. None," he said.

Schwerin testified that regarding his interactions with Biden, he "never asked him to take any official actions for the benefit of Hunter’s clients or any other client."

"Furthermore, I have no recollection of any promises or suggestions made by Hunter or myself to any clients or business associates that his father would take any official actions on their behalf. None," he said. "In my discussions with the Vice President concerning his personal finances, he was always crystal clear that he wanted to take the most transparent and ethical approach consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the law."

Schwerin added: "Given my awareness of his finances and the explicit directions he gave to his financial advisers, the allegation that he would engage in any improper conduct to benefit himself or his family is preposterous to me."

A source familiar with the testimony told Fox News Digital that Schwerin’s opening statement was "very narrowly tailored and does not cover the vast majority of questions about his knowledge and participation in the Biden family’s business schemes that the Committee is seeking information about today."

Despite his work for and with Biden, Schwerin said he had "no visibility on key foreign payments to the Bidens," according to the source familiar with the closed-door testimony.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

"When Eric Schwerin makes statements about Hunter Biden’s financial transactions, during today’s interview he admitted he had no insight into the payments from Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakhstani, and Romanian entities and individuals," the source told Fox News Digital.

Schwerin’s testimony comes after Fox News Digital first reported that Joe Biden, as vice president, used email aliases and private email addresses to communicate with Hunter Biden and his business associates hundreds of times – including with Schwerin. The communications came between 2010 to 2019, with the majority of email traffic taking place while Biden was serving as vice president.

The House Ways & Means Committee, which is co-leading the impeachment inquiry alongside the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, said 54 of those emails were "exclusively" between Joe Biden and Schwerin. The Ways & Means Committee describes Schwerin as "the architect of the Biden family’s shell companies."

Meanwhile, the data shows direct emails between Schwerin and then-Vice President Biden increased during times when the vice president traveled to Ukraine.

OVERSIGHT DEMS ADMIT HUNTER'S LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER HANDLED BIDEN’S FINANCES THROUGHOUT VP TENURE

The committee said the data shows Joe Biden and Schwerin exchanged five emails in June 2014 before the vice president’s trip to Ukraine that month.

After that trip and before Biden’s November 2014 trip back to Ukraine, he and Schwerin emailed 27 times.

Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings in April 2014.

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings. During the same period, Hunter Biden held a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month.

At the time, the vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

Biden allies maintain the vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption and say his firing was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

Hunter Biden business partner’s dad boasted about CCP leaders praising his book: ‘You touched my heart’

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: An unearthed interview involving the father of Hunter Biden's longtime business partner, Eric Schwerin, shows him boasting about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) praising his business book and amplifying it across China, according to a video reviewed by Fox News Digital.

As part of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry against President Biden, Eric Schwerin will appear Tuesday before the House Oversight Committee for a deposition. The committee obtained bank records indicating Schwerin "had access to bank accounts" that could be relevant to their probe.

Schwerin’s testimony comes after Fox News Digital first reported that as vice president, Biden used email aliases and private email addresses to communicate with Hunter Biden and his business associates hundreds of times, including with Schwerin. The communications came between 2010 and 2019, with most email traffic taking place while Biden served as vice president.

Schwerin, who visited the Obama White House and then-Vice President Biden's residence at least 36 times between 2009 and 2016, was considered Hunter's point person for their Chinese business deals and dubbed the "money guy."

ERIC SCHWERIN'S ROLE IN HUNTER BIDEN'S CHINESE BUSINESS DEALS COULD BE MISSING KEY IN GOP INVESTIGATIONS

However, another member of the Schwerin family could face questions about China ties after an unearthed interview details how the elder Schwerin, David Schwerin, separately touted having one of his books resonate with CCP leaders in the early 2000s. This visit led to him gaining intimate access over the next couple of decades and taking several trips to speak in China and conduct workshops for weeks at a time.

In an interview uploaded to YouTube in October 2020, the elder Schwerin discussed how an unnamed person in California read his book "Conscious Capitalism" and introduced him to CCP leaders. Schwerin said the interaction initially occurred "a year or two" after his book on business and "ancient wisdom" was published in 1998.

"He wanted to take it to China," Scherwin said during the interview. "At first, I was a little skeptical - I didn't know him. And as it turns out, he was able to do that - get it translated and published. I was invited shortly thereafter to come to China to speak about the ideas in the book. While the book can be looked at on different levels, one level was certainly socially responsible business, which is now corporate social responsibility or ESG."

Fox News Digital reviewed Schwerin's online presence and confirmed that the unnamed person's identity that Schwerin mentions was Dr. Zhihe Wang, according to one of his websites. The website says their "relationship began in 1998 when Zhihe was studying for his Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University. He came across my first book, Conscious Capitalism: Principles for Prosperity in the Claremont library and contacted me offering to translate it and have it published in China."

‘MONEY GUY’: THIS HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS PARTNER COULD BLOW THE LID OFF BIDEN FAMILY'S BUSINESS DEALINGS

According to Wang's bio, he was previously a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, whose leadership is stacked with multiple top CCP members. Schwerin continues, saying he would "become very friendly with [Wang], his wife and 18 year-old son and have helped Zhihe establish a business to use his contacts to arrange specialized trips to China for people interested in more than the standard touring." Wang touts on his now-defunct website that he organized dozens of American lectures in China and "established 17 research institutes affiliated with 15 Chinese universities [a]cross China."

"I went over there not knowing what to expect - a little bit nervous, to be honest with you - and I had the opportunity to speak to what I call Communist Party school, which is a school for senior-level Communist Party leaders to come back to get training," Schwerin said during the 2020 interview. "I spoke to them about what was inside my book. I had no idea what kind of reception I'd get. Believe it or not, they liked it. I really didn't know what to expect."

"They put my book in their bookstore, wrote about it in their newsletter, and before I knew it, a picture of the cover of my book - which had my face on it - was on the largest - or longest - bus line in China. From that point on, the Communist Party liked the idea enough to start encouraging their businesses to implement it," he said. "And when the Communist Party gets behind something, it has some influence. So, it took a number of years, but over a number of years this became widespread, this concept."

In a separate podcast interview from August 2020, Schwerin shared a similar account about the reception of his book and said that a CCP member said, "You touched my heart," referring to his presentation about his "Conscious Capitalism"book.

Schwerin said he has since visited China nine times to talk with CCP leaders and Chinese citizens, including holding several workshops there. On one of Schwerin's websites, he has a testimonial from Yao Xian Guo, who is listed as an Executive Dean of the "Economics School of Zhejiang University." However, he does not mention that Xianguo has won multiple "Outstanding Communist Party Member" awards.

"Thank you very much for your visit … Your lecture brought us new idea and new thinking style... Social responsibility is an important issue for enterprises in China, especially in the transformation period," Xianguo's testimonial said.

It is unclear whether the elder Schwerin was involved with the foreign business dealings of Hunter and Schwerin's son, but emails show that the younger Schwerin would share political articles with his dad and Hunter, sometimes including other business associates.

A spokesperson for the Democrat minority of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability told Fox News Digital in September that the younger Schwerin, the former president of Hunter’s Rosemont Seneca Advisors, served as then-Vice President Biden’s "bookkeeper" from 2009 until 2017.

A person familiar with Schwerin's role in handling then-Vice President Biden's finances previously told Fox News Digital that Schwerin worked on Biden's personal budget and helped coordinate with his tax preparers.

The individual also pointed to the frequency of Schwerin's communications with Biden and his top aides and said it was "inevitable" Rosemont Seneca business came up in conversations.

Fox News Digital reached out to David Schwerin for comment, but did not receive a response.

House GOP to hear additional witness testimony from Hunter Biden business partners amid impeachment inquiry

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Republicans plan to hear testimony from several additional witnesses who did business with Hunter Biden this week as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

First up this week is Eric Schwerin, who is scheduled to appear on Tuesday after being subpoenaed last year by the House Oversight Committee for a deposition. The committee obtained bank records indicating Schwerin "had access to bank accounts" that could be relevant to their probe.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

The House Ways & Means Committee, which is co-leading the impeachment inquiry alongside the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, said 54 of those emails were "exclusively" between Joe Biden and Schwerin. The House Ways & Means Committee describes Schwerin as "the architect of the Biden family’s shell companies."

Schwerin, during a March 2023 meeting with the House Oversight Committee staff, explained that "he was not aware of any transactions into or out of the then-Vice President’s bank account related to business conducted by any Biden family member," a spokesperson for the Democrats on the committee told Fox News Digital.

The White House has also cited Schwerin's statement that Biden was not involved in his family's business dealings when pushing back against Republicans' impeachment inquiry.

HUNTER BIDEN PAID JOE BIDEN FROM ACCOUNT FOR BIZ THAT RECEIVED PAYMENTS FROM CHINA: COMER

A person familiar with Schwerin's role in handling then-Vice President Biden's finances told Fox News Digital that Schwerin worked on Biden's personal budget and helped coordinate with his tax preparers.

The individual also pointed to the frequency of Schwerin's communications with Biden and his top aides and said it was "inevitable" Rosemont Seneca business came up in conversations.

Meanwhile, the data shows direct emails between Schwerin and then-Vice President Biden increased during times when the vice president traveled to Ukraine.

The committee said the data shows Joe Biden and Schwerin exchanged five emails in June 2014 before the vice president’s trip to Ukraine that month.

After that trip and before Biden’s November 2014 trip back to Ukraine, he and Schwerin emailed 27 times.

Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings in April 2014.

OVERSIGHT DEMS ADMIT HUNTER'S LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER HANDLED BIDEN’S FINANCES THROUGHOUT VP TENURE

At the time, the vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

Meanwhile, the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees are also expected to hear testimony from Joey Langston on Wednesday.

Langston is said to have hosted fundraisers for Joe Biden and to have donated thousands of dollars to his political campaigns.

The committee says Langston, in 2008, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to attempt to influence a judge by providing the judge with "favorable consideration" for a federal judgeship. Langston was sentenced to three years in federal prison and fined $250,000. The Mississippi state bar then disbarred him from practicing law, and in 2016, a federal judge denied his requests to have his "conviction for conspiring to bribe a judge thrown out," and to have his "record cleared."

But the House Oversight Committee says it obtained bank records revealing that after Langston lost his appeal, his company, Langston Law Firm Consulting Inc., began making payments, totaling more than $200,000 to James and Sara Biden directly, and to their entity Lion Hall Group.

The committee says it is "interested in the nature and purpose of these payments, which totaled $187,000 while Joe Biden was serving as vice president."

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

House Republicans hope the witnesses can provide information on whether, among other things, Joe Biden, as vice president and/or president "took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy; abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

The expected testimonies come days after Hunter Biden business associates Mervyn Yan and Rob Walker appeared for their transcribed interviews before the committees, and weeks before the first son is set to take part in a closed-door deposition.

DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED

Hunter Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13, and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement last week that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.

House Democrats, though, have blasted the impeachment inquiry, and have said witness testimony has not supported Republicans’ claims that Biden benefited from or was involved in his son's business dealings. House Democrats are calling for the inquiry to come to an end.

Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker says Joe Biden was ‘never involved’ in business dealings

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker told congressional investigators on Friday that President Biden was "never involved in any of" his son’s business activities.

Walker testified for hours before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees after being subpoenaed to do so last year.

Walker arrived at 10 a.m. ET. When he left just before 6 p.m., he told reporters: "I answered questions to the best of my ability."

HUNTER BIDEN BIZ ASSOCIATE ROB WALKER TO TESTIFY ON BEING ALLEGED 'VEHICLE' FOR BIDEN FAMILY'S FOREIGN FUNDS

Fox News Digital obtained a copy of Walker’s opening statement, in which he testified under oath that the allegations against the president and the first son are "unfounded," but welcomed the opportunity to "provide context to some of the events that are frequently the public focus of the members of these committees."

Walker said he and Hunter "became friends" during the Clinton administration in 1999 and began working together around 2008 by "developing business with, and consulting for, various individuals, businesses, and NGO’s (non-governmental organizations)."

Walker said Hunter "is an intelligent, caring, and generous person, and his demeanor and strong interpersonal skills made him a valued and effective business partner."

He also said Hunter "lost his way" when his brother, Beau Biden, "became seriously ill" and later passed away.

"I’m glad he’s recovering and hope he and his family are doing well," Walker said.

He went on to detail his business with Hunter, saying the opportunities they pursued together were "varied, varied, well-founded, and well within the bounds of legitimate business activities."

"To be clear, President Biden — while in office or as a private citizen — was never involved in any of the business activities we pursued. Any statement to the contrary is simply false," Walker testified. "Hunter made sure there was always a clear boundary between any business and his father. Always."

He added: "And as his partner, I always understood and respected that boundary."

Walker said that he is "very concerned" that his testimony "may be taken out of context to further a political objective, rather than to discover the truth."

6 ADDITIONAL BIDEN FAMILY MEMBERS 'MAY HAVE BENEFITED' FROM HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS

"I therefore respectfully ask that any public statements about this interview be accompanied by the release of the entire transcript of what I say here today, so that members of the public can form their own conclusions about what did and did not happen during my business relationship with Hunter," he said.

Walker's testimony came as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Hours into his transcribed interview, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told reporters that Walker testified that "a couple of weeks after Joe Biden leaves the vice presidency, Hunter Biden and his team, these guys, do business with, enter a contract with, this affiliate of CEFC, the Chinese energy company."

Jordan said "a few days later there's a lunch at the Four Seasons" that CEFC executives, Hunter, James Gilliar and Walker attended. Jordan said, "Joe Biden stops and gives a presentation." Jordan said days later, $3 million was sent to Walker from the Chinese company.

"I think that's just the timing, just a sequence," Jordan said.

In notifying his attorney of his subpoena in November, Jordan and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., explained that Walker set up his limited liability company, Robinson Walker LLC. The chairmen said it was "used as a vehicle to receive foreign funds and send a percentage of the money to Biden family members."

One example Comer and Jordan provided is when Joe Biden served as vice president, Robinson Walker LLC received millions of dollars from a company owned by Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian who was then the subject of a high-profile corruption prosecution in his home country.

BIDEN FAMILY RECEIVED MORE THAN $1M FROM HUNTER ASSOCIATE AFTER 2017 CHINA WIRE: HOUSE OVERSIGHT

"Following the receipt of this money, Robinson Walker sent over one million dollars to Biden family accounts, including those of Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden," Comer and Jordan wrote.

But Comer and Jordan flagged that those payments from Romania to Robinson Walker LLC started "within approximately five weeks of then-Vice President Biden meeting with the President of Romania, where, according to the official readout, the issue of corruption was discussed."

When asked what Hunter did for Popoviciu, Walker told the committee that Hunter flew to Romania to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm, who had just been confirmed.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ROB WALKER FOR TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Comer and Jordan also note that Robinson Walker LLC received the payment of $3 million from State Energy HK Limited, a Chinese company, in February 2017, less than two months after Biden left the Obama administration. Comer and Jordan said that in the three months following that payment, Robinson Walker LLC made "incremental payments totaling over one million dollars to Biden family members and their companies, including Hallie Biden and entities associated with Hunter Biden and James Biden."

According to an FBI FD-302 form detailing Walker's 2021 interview with Special Counsel David Weiss' team and obtained by the House Ways and Means Committee, Walker said the "$3 million amount was more of a ‘thank you’ from CEFC."

Comer and Jordan, in subpoenaing Walker, said he may be able to provide evidence relevant to the impeachment inquiry, saying that Walker "played a key role in the Biden family’s business dealings and the chain of complex financial transactions that was used to hide the foreign sources of the funds received by the Biden family."

After receiving money from the CEFC entity in March 2017, Walker testified Hunter told him to send payments to his uncle, James Biden, and sister-in-law, Hallie Biden, even though they did not do work for the CEFC entity. Further, James Biden wanted a piece of the CEFC entity money despite not being involved in the deal. Walker called Hunter to approve the money transfer to James Biden.