Since the start of 2023, Republicans have been investigating Joe Biden over his alleged connections to his son Hunter’s extremely lucrative multi-million dollar influence peddling scheme spanning decades.
In December, Republicans voted to formalize their ongoing impeachment inquiry because they believe it will force the administration to turn over documents and provide witness testimony after months of stonewalling.
They are working toward building up enough evidence to show Joe was involved in Hunter’s dealings in order to hold a formal impeachment vote in the House in 2024.
GOP investigators are also examining how the Biden Justice Department has allegedly slow walked the criminal investigation into Hunter for tax evasion and gun crimes.
While President Biden has maintained his innocence, saying he has never been involved in his son’s shady business dealings, Republicans say the White House’s recent flip flops on their official statements pushing back on the ‘political’ GOP-led probe is a sign they are scrambling.
The White House’s shifting defense started with Joe had ‘never discussed’ and had no knowledge of Hunter’s business dealings. It has since evolved into the president had never been ‘in business’ or ‘financially involved’ with his son.
In September, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy unilaterally launched an impeachment inquiry over the Biden family’s ‘culture of corruption’ that he said could take down President Biden’s political career.
Since then, the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees have issued subpoenas to the top players involved including Hunter Biden, James Biden and other family members, donors and business associates.
But how did Hunter get his hands on a 2.8-carat diamond from the Chinese, $83,000 a month from Ukrainians and $1 million from mysterious Romanians?
By trading in on the Biden family’s influential ‘brand,’ the GOP claims.
From the use of pseudonyms in at least 82,000 emails to discuss shady Ukraine deals, to an alleged $10 million bribery scheme to providing Hunter access to flights on Air Force Two and more, the president’s involvement in his son’s business is getting harder and harder to ignore.
DailyMail.com breaks down all of the evidence that Republicans have compiled that as they continue their impeachment inquiry:
Biden’s use of pseudonyms on 82,000 emails
Joe used a series of pseudonyms on emails that were about both official and family business, according to emails found on Hunter Biden’s now-infamous laptop and previously reported by DailyMail.com.
And the National Archives recently revealed the sheer volume of the correspondence.
The accounts that the over 82,000 pages of emails were sent or received from included: ‘[email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].’
The correspondence apparently spans over the entire eight-year period Joe was serving as Obama’s No. 2.
The bombshell admission came as Republicans are seeking records revealing Joe Biden’s use of pseudonyms to discuss his activities related to Ukraine with his son Hunter during his time as vice president.
Republicans have asked NARA for an un-redacted document that indicates that then-Vice President Biden took a call with the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, on May 27, 2016.
Republicans say the document was emailed to ‘Robert L. Peters’ with Hunter Biden copied.
At the time, top Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin was investigating oil company Burisma Holdings for corruption – the same company that Hunter was a sitting board member of.
$10 million alleged bribery scheme
An internal FBI document – obtained by DailyMail.com – includes bombshell claims that Joe Biden and his son Hunter forced a Ukrainian oil executive to pay them $10 million in exchange for the then-Vice President’s influence in getting a senior prosecutor fired.
According to the conversation between a confidential source and Burisma CFO Vadim Pojarski in 2015, Hunter Biden was hired onto the company’s board to ‘protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.’
Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky told the source: ‘It costs 5 (million) to pay one Biden, and 5 (million) to another Biden.’
Zlochevsky added that, although Hunter ‘was stupid,’ and his (Zlochevsky’s) dog was smarter, he was needed on the board ‘so everything will be okay.’
Selling the Biden ‘brand’ for influence on 20 calls
Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Archer testified before the House Oversight Committee that Joe Biden’s ‘brand’ protected Ukrainian company Burisma because ‘people would be intimidated to mess with them.’
Hunter’s presence on Burisma’s board and access to his father – then vice president – led to the company’s ‘longevity’ because they had the ‘capabilities to navigate D.C.,’ Archer said according to the transcript.
Hunter’s best friend and business associate sat with him on Burisma’s board beginning in 2014. They also started Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment advisory firm, together.
He confirmed that Hunter put Joe on speakerphone 20 times during business meetings over a 10-year period, which was a ‘signal’ of ‘value,’ and Hunter used his dad as ‘defensive leverage.’
Getting help from the ‘Big Guy’ in D.C.
During another dinner with Burisma executives at the Four Seasons in Dubai, Hunter said he would be able to get ‘help from D.C.’ in order to relieve some ‘government pressure’ on the company.
Archer testified that Burisma was ‘getting pressure’ and as a result, they ‘requested Hunter, you know, help them with some of that pressure.’
He said it was ‘government pressure’ from the ongoing Ukrainian investigation into the company at the time – led by top prosecutor Shokin.
In March 2016, Joe Biden is alleged to have threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid to Ukraine if Shokin was not fired for corruption, which he eventually was.
Archer added that the Burisma executives weren’t specific in asking directly ‘can the big guy help?’
Rather, they used the ‘amorphous’ term: ‘can we get help in D.C.?’
Archer understood that ‘D.C.’ meant Hunter’s influence based on his connection to his then-VP father.
‘Well, I mean, he was a lobbyist and an expert and obviously he carried, you know, a very powerful name. So I think it was that’s what they were asking for,’ said Archer.
Air Force Two flights and business dinners with Joe
Hunter traveled to at least 15 countries with his dad then-Vice President Joe on Air Force Two according to reports – including China.
Archer also told lawmakers that Joe sat and had dinner in-person on at least two occasions with Hunter and his foreign business partners, who then wired money almost immediately after to Biden-affiliated companies.
The then-vice president sat in on another dinner with Hunter and his partners in 2015 at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C., Archer confirmed.
‘Dear Hunter,’ reads a note from a Ukrainian executive following the dinner. ‘Thank you for inviting me to DC and giving me an opportunity to meet your father and [spend] some time together.’
Then-Vice President Joe Biden waves as he walks out of Air Force Two with his granddaughter Finnegan Biden and son Hunter Biden on December 4, 2013 in Beijing, China
Hunter traveled to at least 15 countries with his dad then-Vice President Joe on Air Force Two according to reports
20 shell companies to rake in foreign cash
An estimated up to $40 million was raked in through 20 shell companies and fake accounts created while Joe Biden was vice president, at the same time he was joining Hunter’s business calls and stopping by at lavish dinners.
During Biden’s time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a ‘complicated corporate structure’ Republicans outlined in a spring memo.
Hunter Biden and his associates, including Rob Walker, formed ‘at least 15’ of those companies, after Biden took the office of the vice president in 2009.
Several of those entities including Owasco P.C. – which Hunter owned – Hudson West III, LLC, Robinson Walker, LLC, and Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC, accepted funds from foreign companies ranging from $5,000 to $3 million, the Oversight Committee said.
Bank records reveal ‘loan repayment’ checks
Through bank records obtained by House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., the top Republican has discovered two checks from James Biden to Joe for $200,000 and $40,000 ‘loan repayments.’
Comer claims the checks are evidence that Joe knew about and benefitted financially from his family’s business dealings, and says the money can be traced back to China.
A money trail beginning in July 2017 snaked from Chinese oil giant CEFC – one of Hunter’s joint ventures – into Joe’s account.
In WhatsApp messages from August 2017 previously published by DailyMail.com, Hunter demanded $10 million from CEFC, and claimed his father was ‘sitting here’ next to him during the exchange.
After an initial $5 million from CEFC was put in the joint venture on August 8, 2017, and a transfer of $400,000 was placed into Hunter Biden entity Owasco, P.C. on the same day. Then, $150,000 was transferred directly from Owasco into the bank account of James and Sara Biden – Joe’s sister-in-law – on August 14, 2017.
Then on September 3, 2017, Sara wrote a $40,000 check direct to Joe – just six days after she took out $50,000 in cash, according to the obtained documents.
Republicans have revealed a separate $200,000 personal check from James Biden to Joe Biden.
Contempt proceedings against Hunter
Republicans are beginning proceedings to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena requiring him to sit for a closed-door deposition as part of their impeachment investigation.
Hunter appeared outside of the Capitol last week to deliver a dramatic tirade slamming ‘shameless’ Republicans, and declared that he would be skipping his deposition that was scheduled for 9.30am.
In a dramatic tirade outside Congress the first son said his father was ‘not financially involved’ in his controversial business dealings and that there was no evidence because it ‘did not happen.’
Now Republicans say that his ‘obstruction’ of their investigation has forced them to take the president’s son to court to compel his cooperation – or he will face jail time.
If Hunter is held in contempt of Congress by a committee vote, his case would be referred to the Biden-led Department of Justice. If DOJ agrees to prosecute the case, which is unlikely, he could face up to 12 months jail time or a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted.
After Hunter refused to comply with the subpoena for his closed-door testimony, Republicans started contempt of Congress proceedings against the president’s son
The House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees have issued subpoenas to the top players involved including Hunter Biden, James Biden and other family members, donors and business associates
Hunter’s federal indictments
In September, Federal prosecutors indicted Hunter on illegal gun charges that have a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail.
And earlier in December, nine new criminal charges were filed against Hunter by the Department of Justice for allegedly spending millions on ‘drugs, prostitutes and exotic cars’ while avoiding paying taxes.
Hunter’s legal woes are sure to follow his father around as he hits the campaign trail for his re-election bid.
The first son will appear in court for his arraignment on the nine new tax charges on January 11, only four days before the Iowa caucuses.
Emails show that Hunter’s company ‘frequently used the Biden name to gain access to and favors from the White House’