Republicans in the House of Representatives on Tuesday released more WhatsApp messages they say were penned by Hunter Biden while he was working on a business deal with a Chinese energy company.
In August 2017 news, the first son urged the need to invest $10 million annually in the joint venture with CEFC China Energy, calling a $5 million proposal “new to me” and “of course not.” acceptable”.
The House Oversight Committee Twitter account said Hunter sent a message to Gongwen Dong, an employee of CEFC China Energy, who used the nickname “Kevin.”
“I’m sick of this Kevin,” Hunter said. “I can make a salary of $5 million in any law firm in America.” If you think it’s about money, it’s not. The Bidens (sic) are the best at getting exactly what the Chairman wants from this partnership. Please let’s not fight about peanuts.’
The next day, one of Hunter’s shell companies, OWASCO PC, received a $10,000 payment from CEFC, House Republicans said, sharing a receipt.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released new messages from Hunter Biden, pictured Sunday returning to DC from Camp David, showing some of his demands when he attempted to sign $10 million with a Chinese energy company in 2017
In a series of tweets Tuesday, the Republican on the House Oversight Committee released new WhatsApp messages between Hunter Biden and a Chinese business partner as they struck an energy deal in August 2017
The “Chairman,” Republicans said, now misses Chinese oil tycoon Ye Jianming, who disappeared in February 2018 after being taken into custody by Chinese authorities.
Republicans on the oversight committee claimed Ye was linked to an intelligence agency of the Chinese Communist Party.
Ye explained that CEFC China’s vision is to “procure overseas resources and serve the national strategy,” the Oversight Republicans Twitter account said. “He wanted to expand China’s reach and influence around the world.”
“As more facts come to light, it becomes more obvious that the Bidens are putting China and their interests first and America last,” House Republicans said.
Ye was questioned by federal authorities in New York in November 2017 over a bribery scheme related to CEFC’s operations in Chad and Uganda.
Ye’s lieutenant Patrick Ho was eventually convicted of bribery and money laundering on seven counts related to the bribery scheme.
According to a 2018 New York Times report on the fall of the CEFC, when Ho was arrested, he had called James Biden, Hunter’s uncle and the president’s brother.
James Biden told the Times he believed the call was intended for Hunter.
“I have nothing further to say,” James Biden told the newspaper. “I don’t want to get involved in this anymore.”
Since January, the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, has been investigating what he calls “Biden family influence.”
The White House and President Joe Biden have repeatedly denied that the President did business with Hunter.
But a WhatsApp message from an IRS whistleblower last week showed Hunter using his father’s influence to put pressure on a Chinese employee.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” Hunter wrote to Communist Party official Henry Zhao on July 30, 2017.
Hunter’s attorney Chris Clark responded by calling the whistleblower “biased” and claiming the report described “a time of turmoil and addiction” for the president’s son.
“Any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrific addiction are solely his own and unrelated to anyone in his family,” Clark said.
Clark also dismissed Republican complaints that the Justice Department’s investigation into the president’s son had not gone far enough.
Last week, Hunter Biden agreed to a settlement with the US Attorney in Delaware, pleaded guilty to two counts of tax offenses and was suspended for a weapons offense.
“A comprehensive, five-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice concluded this week, resulting in my client accepting responsibility for two counts of misdemeanor charges of failure to file taxes and one count of firearms possession, pending a pre-trial diversion agreement,” Clark said . “As his counsel in this entire matter, I can say that any suggestion that the investigation was not thorough, or cut corners, or my client was not lenient is preposterous and deeply irresponsible.”