Senate exposes a rogues' gallery of shady foreign associates behind Hunter Biden's lucrative deals

The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Finance released their highly anticipated report on Hunter Biden's extensive dealings with China, Russia, and Ukraine while his father Joe Biden served as vice president. 

The joint report reveals that Hunter Biden received taxpayer-funded accommodations including transportation aboard Air Force Two and Secret Service security details while he traveled to make business deals with Chinese, Russian, and Ukrainian entities. According to the report, Hunter Biden received Secret Service protection on trips to multiple foreign locations, including Moscow, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, and dozens of other cities. 

The joint committee investigation into the Bidens' potential conflicts of interest "began in August 2019, with Finance Committee Chairman Grassley's letter to the Department of the Treasury regarding potential conflicts of interest with respect to Obama administration policy relating to the Henniges transaction," a controversial deal linked to the Bidens.

The Senate report provides a detailed roadmap, exposing the Bidens' connections to hostile foreign governments and individuals, including convicted criminals. Quoted material below is from the joint committee report (except the quotes appearing within the report itself).

The main characters reportedly enriching the Bidens are from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and China: 

China

Ye Jianming is a Chinese national with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese military, also known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He is the founder of China Energy Fund Committee and CEFC China Energy Co. Ltd. Ye allegedly wired massive sums of money through CEFC and related entities resulting in "millions of dollars in cash flow" benefitting the Biden family. Multiple transactions between Ye Jianming's enterprise and Hunter Biden were flagged by the U.S. Treasury Department for "potential criminal financial activity," and in February 2018 Ye Jianming was reportedly under investigation in China for "suspected economic crimes."

According to the report: 

"Ye Jianming is a Chinese businessman and a frequent figure in Hunter Biden's financial dealings in China. Based on public reports that were available in 2015, when his contact with Biden began to ramp up, Ye was a founder of CEFC China Energy Co. Ltd (CEFC) and served as chairman of the board for its subsidiary, the China Energy Fund Committee (CE Fund). CEFC had a reported income estimated at $33.4 billion, according to 2013 figures that were available at the time. Although CEFC reportedly remained a private company until state-owned enterprises assumed control of it in 2018, reporting in 2017 indicated that it received financing from the China Development Bank, 'hired a number of former top officials from state-owned energy companies' and had 'layers of Communist Party committees across its subsidiaries — more than at many private Chinese companies.'

…

In addition to the Communist government, Ye also had reported connections and affiliations to the People's Liberation Army (PLA). For example, from 2003 to 2005, Ye reportedly served as deputy secretary general of the China Association for International Friendly Contacts (CAIFC), which is the public name for the PLA General Political Department's International Liaison Department. Additionally, in 2014, under Ye's leadership, CE Fund had co-organized events with the China Huayi Broadcasting Corporation (CHBC), a company incorporated by the PLA General Political Department. The CEO of CHBC, Wang Shu, was commander of the PLA General Political Department base 'at the forefront of applied psychological operations and propaganda directed against Taiwan,' which was managed by a training center that was funded by a subsidiary of CEFC….Wang reportedly attended the 2014 CE Fund and CHBC event along with Xu Jialu, a man who was associated with the PLA's CAIFC as well as CE Fund and China's Confucius Institutes. Huasheng served as executive director of CE Fund's China Institute of Culture Limited (CIOC), 'a nationally supported organization in charge of "promoting Chinese culture."' Accordingly, Ye and his associates had robust relationships with China's military units, some of which were involved in matters in direct opposition to U.S. policy in the region." 

GongWen Dong is a Chinese national with deep ties to the Chinese communist regime and the Chinese military. GongWen Dong "was Ye Jianming's associate and reportedly executed transactions for his companies." As Ye Jianming's associate, GongWen Dong helped funnel millions of dollars to Hunter Biden and even facilitated a six-figure "global spending spree" for Hunter Biden and Joe Biden’s brother James Biden and James’ wife Sara Biden. 

According to the report: 

"On 09/08/2017, Hunter Biden and GongWen Dong applied online to Cathay Bank and opened a line of credit under the business name Hudson West III, LLC. The cards were collateralized by transferring $99,000.00 from a Cathay Bank account to the Hudson West III business account where the funds were held until the cards were closed. The authorized users of these credit cards include Hunter Biden, James Biden and Sara Biden and each used the cards around the world to purchase $101,291 worth of extravagant items to include airline tickets, multiple purchases at Apple Stores and pharmacies, as well as hotels and restaurants."

Patrick Ho is a Chinese national and close associate of Ye Jianming. He was also a reported client of Hunter Biden, personally, and was co-represented by Hunter Biden's former law firm Boies Schiller Flexner. Ho was convicted by the U.S. Justice Department for money laundering, conspiracy, and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (which deals with international bribery schemes).

According to the report:

"In November 2017, Ye Jianming's associate and Hunter Biden's reported client, Patrick Ho, was arrested and charged with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, international money laundering, and conspiracy to commit both. The first call that he reportedly made was to James Biden, who reportedly referred him to Hunter Biden. Ho was convicted in March 2019 on charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and was sentenced to three years in U.S. prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to bribe officials in Chad and Uganda in exchange for business advantages for CEFC, Ye's company. Department of Justice documents describe Ye as Patrick Ho's boss and, again, note that Ye's company supplied funding to the China Energy Fund Committee. Ho worked as the secretary-general of the committee during the period when he was carrying out his illegal schemes."

Russia

Elena Baturina is a billionaire Russian oligarch and the widow of the former mayor of Moscow. Baturina, who is reportedly close to Putin, has received hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit money through corruption schemes, according to the report. In February 2014, the Russian oligarch wired $3.5 million to a Delaware-based entity co-founded by Hunter Biden called Rosemont Seneca Thornton LLC.

According to the report: 

"Hunter Biden and his associate, [Devon] Archer, had a financial relationship with Russian businesswoman Elena Baturina. Baturina is the former wife of the late Yuri Luzhkov, who was the mayor of Moscow and was fired in 2010 by then-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev over corruption allegations. Baturina became Russia's only female billionaire when her plastics company, Inteko, received a series of Moscow municipal contracts while her husband was mayor. According to reporting, 'Luzhkov used his position as mayor to approve over 20 real estate projects that were built by a Baturina-owned construction company and ultimately generated multibillion-ruble profits for his family.' In addition, a Russian investigation led to a criminal case against the former head of the Bank of Moscow, Andrey Borodin, who 'allegedly used money from the Moscow City Budget to lend money to shell companies, which ultimately transferred $443 million to Baturina.'"

Kazakhstan

Kenges Rakishev is a businessman and the son-in-law of a prominent Kazakh politician who has close ties to longtime Kazakh dictator, President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Rakishev is the sole shareholder of a company called Novatus Holding, which wired $143,300 to Rosemont Seneca Bohai (an entity controlled by Hunter Biden and Devon Archer). At the time of the transfer, Rakishev's father-in-law was the mayor of Kazakhstan's capital city, Astana.

According to the report: 

"At the time of Vice President Biden's visit to Kyiv, there were divided opinions in Kazakhstan over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the international situation had produced tension in the region generally. Nazarbayev's government reportedly shifted positions over time, and Nazarbayev reportedly made some statements supportive of Russia's actions. Given Rakishev's close connection to political leadership in Kazakhstan, the tense political situation, Hunter Biden's longstanding relationship with Archer and involvement in transactions with Rosemont Seneca Bohai, and the fact that the payment was timed perfectly with Vice President Biden's visit to Kyiv to discuss U.S. sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Crimea, the April 22, 2014 payment from Rakishev to Rosemont Seneca Bohai raises serious questions. It is unclear why a foreign company, Novatus Holding, would purchase a $142,300 car for Rosemont Seneca Bohai when the company does not deal in vehicles."

Ukraine

Mykola Zlochevsky is the Ukrainian oligarch who founded Burisma. Zlochevsky has been accused of criminal activity amounting to massive corruption in multiple countries including Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Zlochevsky allegedly sought favor with the United States via the vice president by funneling money to Biden family associates — primarily Hunter Biden and Devon Archer. 

According to the report: 

"Hunter Biden was serving on Burisma's board (supposedly consulting on corporate governance and transparency) when Zlochevsky allegedly paid a $7 million bribe to officials serving under Ukraine's prosecutor general, Vitaly Yarema, to 'shut the case against Zlochevsky.' [U.S. diplomat George] Kent testified that this bribe occurred in December 2014 (seven months after Hunter joined Burisma's board), and, after learning about it, he and the Resident Legal Advisor reported this allegation to the FBI."

U.S.

Devon Archer

Hunter Biden's Russian, Ukrainian, and Chinese business partners were not the only ones with criminal allegations against them. Hunter Biden's close friend and business partner Devon Archer was indicted for a massive fraud scheme (though Archer himself beat the charges). 

According to the report:

"In May 2016, Hunter Biden's business partner, Archer, and five others were arrested and criminally charged in a scheme to defraud investors and a tribal entity of millions of dollars. Starting Jan. 25, 2016, Burisma began sending regular payments for Biden to his Washington law firm, Owasco PC (Owasco). Owasco was incorporated on Jan. 19, 2006, lists an agent address in Washington, and lists its executing officer and governor as Robert Hunter Biden. Payments from Burisma to Owasco continued throughout most of 2016 and ceased eight days after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8, 2016 presidential election. Between Jan. 25, 2016, and Nov. 16, 2016, Burisma sent nine wires totaling $752,054.99 to Owasco with each of the nine transactions listing 'Owasco, PC/Robert Biden' as the recipient. Of the nine, two payments were for $83,333.33, five were for $83,333 one was for $84,992.33, and one was for $83,731.291 The records acquired by the Committees show the last documented payment was made on Nov. 16, 2016. Biden continued to serve on Burisma's board of directors until April 2019."

The joint-committee report states that the Senate committees experienced delays, including due to instances of "obstructive behavior," and that the transactions detailed within the report "raise criminal concerns."

The Biden campaign issued a statement before the report was released accusing Senator Johnson of pushing "a long-disproven hardcore right-wing conspiracy theory" and trying "to subsidize a foreign attack against the sovereignty of our elections with taxpayer dollars," referring to the foreign sources that Johnson and Grassley's report cited. However, the Biden campaign has not has not yet addressed the numerous allegations contained in the report that are based on non-partisan financial records called Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) issued by the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Regarding his work in China and Ukraine, Hunter Biden has previously admitted to "poor judgement" but denied any "ethical lapse." After the Senate report was released, Hunter Biden's daughter, Naomi Biden, posted a series of tweets defending her father: "Here's a thread on my dad, Hunter Biden — free of charge to the taxpayers and free of the corrosive influence of power-at-all-costs politics. The truth of a man filled with love, integrity, and human struggles."

Spokespersons for Devon Archer and James Biden have not yet responded to requests for comment.