In a recent revelation, President Biden is said to have given his full support to a bold legal approach devised by his son Hunter's attorney, Abbe Lowell.
This strategy was put into action just before House Republicans initiated their probe into the senior Biden's involvement in overseas business transactions, as reported in a forthcoming book.
According to "War," a soon-to-be-published book by Bob Woodward, the president had a conversation with his son in December 2022. "Let me talk to Abbe," the president reportedly said. He then expressed his approval of Lowell's approach, stating, "I love what you are doing. Keep doing it. Keep doing it." Lowell, a high-profile attorney, was hired by Hunter Biden the same month.
As reported by The New York Post, Lowell was preparing to counterattack Republicans who had circulated files from Hunter Biden's discarded laptop. These files suggested a connection between Joe Biden and business dealings in China and Ukraine. This was happening as the newly formed House GOP majority was gearing up for a more in-depth investigation.
During this period, federal officials had not yet publicly verified the laptop's authenticity. This uncertainty, coupled with Joe Biden's 2020 claim that the files were Russian disinformation, cast doubt on the files' credibility and their contents' significance. This situation provided Lowell with an opportunity to further question their validity.
In February, about a month after the president's phone call, Lowell wrote to the Justice Department and Delaware's attorney general. He requested criminal investigations into John Paul Mac Isaac, the computer repairman who had handed over files from Hunter's laptop to the FBI.
Lowell carefully avoided confirming the damaging files' authenticity, hinting at potential "manipulation" of the records. He sought criminal investigations into whether laws protecting personal information and prohibiting the distribution of stolen property had been violated.
On the same day, Lowell called for criminal investigations into Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Giuliani's lawyer Robert Costello, and former Trump White House advisor Stephen Bannon. They were implicated in the distribution of the files. Lowell also challenged the nonprofit status of former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler's group Marco Polo, which had published the laptop files online.
Approximately three months after the conversation between Joe Biden and Lowell, the attorney filed a lawsuit against Mac Isaac for invasion of privacy.
Bob Woodward, the renowned Watergate journalist, did not disclose his sources for the anecdote about the December 2022 phone call. However, he wrote that it was one of several instances where Joe Biden had spoken with Lowell.
According to reports, White House officials, including in-house lawyers, were against Hunter Biden's aggressive strategy. This approach ultimately provoked congressional Republicans, leading to the House of Representatives approving an impeachment inquiry into the president in December. This happened within hours of Hunter disregarding a subpoena for his testimony.
The congressional investigation eventually revealed numerous additional connections between Joe Biden and foreign associates of Hunter and James Biden, his brother. This confirmed and provided more details about the information disclosed in the laptop files.
House Republicans presented evidence that the president had interacted with his relatives' associates from two Chinese government-linked business ventures and their patrons from Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine. This was in addition to many of their domestic associates.
In April 2023, the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden was revived after two IRS investigators alleged a widespread coverup to protect Hunter and prevent any lines of questioning into Joe Biden's involvement.
Hunter accepted a probation-only plea deal in June but reneged on the agreement in July over demands for immunity for possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which could have implicated his father.
David Weiss, Delaware's US Attorney, was promoted to the rank of special counsel to refile charges. Hunter was convicted of gun charges in June and pleaded guilty to tax fraud last month. He is currently awaiting sentencing in both cases.
Joe Biden has consistently claimed that he "never" discussed business with either his son or brother. He stated in December and again in March that he "did not" interact with their partners, despite photos, emails, and witness statements suggesting otherwise.
Hunter financed his legal defense through loans from wealthy Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris. Morris provided Hunter with approximately $6.5 million to pay off back taxes, finance his lifestyle, and retain legal counsel. This began shortly after Hunter Biden and Morris met for the first time in late 2019 at a political fundraiser for Joe Biden's presidential campaign.
Lowell joined Hunter's legal team at a critical juncture when the criminal investigation had stalled, but the congressional inquiry was just beginning.
At the time, a long-standing criminal investigation of the first son for tax fraud, gun crimes, and potentially illegal foreign lobbying had hit a standstill. The US attorneys for Los Angeles and Washington declined to partner with David Weiss.
The White House and Lowell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"War" will be available in bookstores from October 15.
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