A new Senate report released Wednesday concludes that former Vice President Joe Biden allowed Hunter Biden and other members of his family to enrich themselves through links with foreign companies and governments while he was in office.
The report notes that the Obama administration was aware of, but did nothing about the conflict of interest that was created when Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was appointed to the board of Burisma, a corrupt Ukrainian fossil fuel company.
But the report goes further than what was revealed during the impeachment inquiry last year. It presents email evidence that former Secretary of State John Kerry, whose stepson Chris Heinz was one of Hunter Biden’s business partners, was also aware of the conflicts of interest. It adds that “Hunter Biden, his family, and [business partner Devon] Archer received millions of dollars from foreign nationals with questionable backgrounds.” It notes that Hunter Biden went on a “$100,000 global spending spree with James Biden and Sara Biden” after receiving money from a Chinese investor. And it adds that Hunter Biden appeared to have paid women linked to an “Eastern European prostitution or human trafficking ring.”
It also notes: “The records acquired by the Committees show consistent, significant and extensive financial connections among and between Hunter Biden, James Biden, Sara Biden, Devon Archer, and Chinese nationals connected to the Communist regime and [People’s Liberation Army] as well as other foreign nationals with questionable backgrounds.”
The report, presented by by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) of the Senate Committee on Finance, was launched in August 2019 — prior to the impeachment controversy, and as the result of the “Henniges transaction,” in which a company tied to the Chinese state had bought an American company that makes “anti-vibration technologies with military applications.” One of the companies in the transaction was Bohai Harvest RST (BHR), a Chinese-funded investment company in which Hunter Biden owns a stake.
The report “details examples of extensive and complex financial transactions involving the Bidens” and notes that Hunter Biden “was not the only Biden who cashed in on Joe Biden’s vice presidency.” It also notes that Hunter Biden enjoyed Secret Service protection during extensive trips abroad, and that the protection continued for a few months after he joined Burisma.
It concludes:
The records acquired by the Committees show that Hunter Biden and his family were involved in a vast financial network that connected them to foreign nationals and foreign governments across the globe. Hunter Biden and Archer, in particular, formed significant and consistent financial relationships with the corrupt oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky during their time working for Burisma and their firms made millions of dollars from that association while Joe Biden was vice president and the public face of the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy. Rosemont Seneca Thornton, an investment firm co-founded by Hunter Biden, received $3.5 million in a wire transfer from Elena Baturina, who allegedly received illegal construction contracts from her husband, the former mayor of Moscow. Moreover, Archer’s apparent receipt of money for a car from Kenges Rakishev of Kazakhstan while Vice President Biden was in Kyiv is especially concerning in light of the timing. And finally, Biden and Archer’s work with Chinese nationals connected to the Communist regime illustrate the deep financial connections that accelerated while his father was vice president and continued after he left office.
The report also notes that the vice president was made aware of the conflicts of interest that Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian role entailed, as was Secretary of State Kerry:
Former Secretary Kerry’s December 2019 denial of having any knowledge about Hunter Biden or Burisma is inconsistent with the evidence uncovered by the Committees. Kerry was briefed about Hunter Biden, Burisma and Heinz the day after Burisma announced Hunter Biden joined its board. Additionally, Secretary Kerry’s senior advisor sent him press clips and articles relating to Hunter Biden’s board membership. This appears to be yet another example of high- ranking Obama administration officials blatantly ignoring Hunter Biden’s association with Burisma.
The reports, written by the Republican majority on both committees, accuse Democrats of falsely linking the investigations to foreign influence campaigns — ironically, the report notes, relying on foreign nationals with an interest in influencing U.S. politics.
Hunter Biden spoke during the Democratic National Convention, declaring that his father would be an “honest” president.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.