Newly discovered photographs have brought President Biden under the spotlight, revealing his meeting with Hunter Biden's Chinese business associates during his tenure as Vice President.
This revelation raises questions about his previous assertion that he "never" discussed business matters with his son.
According to Fox News, the photographs were obtained by America First Legal, a conservative-leaning organization, through a lawsuit against the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The images appear to depict then-Vice President Biden introducing his son to Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-Vice President Li Yuanchao. Additional photos show Joe Biden with Hunter's business associates from BHR Partners, including Jonathan Li and Ming Xue.
"These images shed light on the connections between then-Vice President Biden, Hunter and his Chinese business associates, and Chinese government officials including President Xi Jinping," America First Legal stated in a press release this week. The organization also claimed that "Lawyers and representatives for President Biden and President Obama delayed NARAs release of these photographs, as they did with other records, until after Election Day."
The photographs seem to support the House Oversight Committees investigative findings that Hunter Biden arranged for his father to meet with Jonathan Li and other BHR executives during the 2013 China trip. America First Legal noted that during this trip, "Mr. Li sought and received access to Vice President Bidens political power, including, for example, preferential access to then-U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus a condition of Hunter Biden and his associates participating in the BHR deal."
The committee's investigation also suggested that "the Biden Family benefited from their business dealings with BHR," as stated by America First Legal.
Earlier this year, the House Oversight Committee questioned Hunter Biden about his meetings during his Asia trip with his father. Hunter Biden recounted, "When we returned from an event to the hotel, there was a rope line, and Jonathan Li was in the lobby of the hotel where I was going to meet him for coffee. In that line, I introduced my dad to Jonathan Li and a friend of his, and they shook hands and I believe probably took a photograph. And then my father went up to his room, and I went to have coffee with Jonathan Li." He also mentioned that he did not inform his father "anything" about who Li was.
Joe Biden has consistently denied any involvement in his son's business ventures. During his presidential campaign in 2019, he stated, "I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings." However, emails sent to and from Hunter Biden have cast doubt on this claim. For instance, a 2017 email obtained by Fox News shows Hunter requesting keys for Joe and Jill Biden, along with his uncle, Jim Biden, for a space he planned to share with an "emissary" to the chairman of a now-bankrupt Chinese energy company.
In another 2017 email, Biden wrote to the same Chinese energy company's chairman extending "best wishes from the entire Biden family," and urging the chairman to "quickly" send a $10 million wire to "properly fund and operate" the Biden joint venture with the company.
Devon Archer, a former business partner and longtime friend of Hunter Biden, contradicted the president's claim in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee last year. Archer claimed that Hunter put his father on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times, and described how Joe Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand."
The photographs have drawn significant criticism on social media, particularly in light of President Bidens frequent claims he never discussed business with his son. Various figures, including Red State writer Bonchie, author and journalist Peter Schweizer, Real Clear Politics editor Benjamin Weingarten, GOP Rep. Eric Burlison, and Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, have expressed their concerns and criticisms.
The recently discovered photographs also bring renewed attention to an email exchange previously reported by Fox News Digital. The 2014 email exchange reveals Hunter Biden once said he would be "happy" to introduce his business associates to a top Chinese Communist Party official to discuss potential investments after that official allegedly sat at Hunter's table during a 2013 dinner in Beijing to welcome his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden.
The email exchange with James Bulger, who served as the chairman of Boston-based Thornton Group LLC, referred to the same China trip mentioned in the America First Legal press release. Thornton Group LLC joined forces with Hunters now-defunct Rosemont Seneca to launch its joint venture with Chinese investment firm Bohai Capital to create BHR Partners shortly after the Bidens traveled to China. BHR Partners is controlled by Bank of China Limited.
Earlier this month, President Biden pardoned his son for any potential crimes dating back to 2014. He stated, "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Departments decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."
Despite the pardon, America First Legal Counsel Michael Ding stated, "Even while President Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, for anything and everything he has committed or may have committed or taken part in going all the way back to the year 2014, more evidence comes out each day showing how his family leveraged Joe Bidens even longer career in public office for private gain." He added, "America First Legal will not stop fighting to uncover the full story of the Biden Familys corruption."
Login