Republicans are digging in on over $10 million received by Biden family members from foreign actors, including previously undisclosed $1 million in Romanian-linked payments, and a ‘web’ of 20 companies created while President Joe Biden was vice president and pushing anti-corruption efforts abroad.
On Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Republicans led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released a ‘Second Records Memorandum’ that expands on information it received from subpoena returns as the committee continues its investigation into the Biden family’s business practices.
The memo specifically outlines the Biden family’s ties to Romanian ‘influence peddling’ and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president. It also accuses President Biden for a ‘lack of transparency’ regarding his family’s receipt of funds from China, which he has said are ‘not true.’
It details the efforts by the family to hide, conceal and confuse sources of money – including more China money, according to a committee aide.
‘The White House refuses to correct the president’s statement. The president is now using the federal government to run interference for his family and his own role in these schemes,’ said Comer during a press conference announcing the memo Wednesday.
During Biden’s time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a ‘complicated corporate structure’ the memo states.
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 committee says.
During Biden’s time as vice president, there were 20 companies affiliated with certain Biden family members created intentionally with a ‘complicated corporate structure’ the memo states
The Romanian transactions outlined in the bank records released by the committee were from Cypriot – a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, who was at the time under investigation for criminal corruption in Romania and later convicted for bribery-related offenses
This specifically is ‘evidence of influence peddling and a correlation between Biden family and their business associates’ work, allege the Republicans who point to multiple anti-corruption speeches and meetings with Romanian leaders then-Vice President Biden engaged in between 2014 and 2015.
The Romanian transactions outlined in the bank records released by the committee were from Cypriot – a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, who was at the time under investigation for criminal corruption in Romania and later convicted for bribery-related offenses.
Between 2015 and 2017, Robinson Walker, LLC received $3 million from Bladon Enterprises Limited – Popoviciu’s Cypriot company – which was then paid out to Biden family members in a total sum of over $1 million.
The first payments were received by the LLC just weeks after then-Vice President Biden hosted Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House and they discussed anti-corruption policies.
Biden family accounts gained $1.038 million from Robinson Walker, LLC in a series of 17 deposits, 16 of which were made while Biden was still in the White House. The payments went to associate James Gilliar, Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Owasco LLC and an ‘unknown Biden bank account.’
‘It appears from bank records the Bidens were using Robinson Walker, LLC to conceal that the source of these payments was Popovici,’ the memo says.
According to emails from Hunter’s laptop obtained by DailyMail.com, Popoviciu hired the president’s son in 2016 as part of an influence campaign to persuade anti-corruption prosecutors to cut a deal or drop the case – all while his father was sitting vice president.
The memo also ‘serves as a response to misinformation’ Republicans say has been spread by President Biden, Democrats in Congress and their allies regarding the China-connected findings in a first memo released last month.
On March 16, Comer released a ‘First Bank Records Memorandum’ detailing a payment of $3 million in 2017 received by Biden family associate Rob Walker from a CEFC China Energy-linked firm State Energy HK Limited.
About $1 million of that money was then passed from Walker to several Biden family members – including Hallie Biden – in more than 15 incremental payments.
Biden, pictured in 2014, condemned corruption during a speech in Romania before his family allegedly received a $1million payment from a real estate tycoon convicted of bribery
Biden defended his son Hunter, saying last Friday evening during an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle that ‘First of all, my son has done nothing wrong’
Hunter and Hallie Biden started dating after the death of her husband Beau Biden
‘It is unclear what services were provided to obtain this exorbitant amount of money,’ Comer said at the time of the first memo’s release.
The new memo released Wednesday provides additional information about Ye Jianming and his company CEFC, including the role of the company’s U.S. ’emissary’ Gongwen Dong – which the lawmakers say is evidence of the Chinese Communist Party attempting to ‘cultivate’ a relationship with the Biden family directly.
The Republicans accuse Ye and Dong of ‘enticing’ Biden family members with millions of dollars ‘in exchange for influence and legitimacy’ in the U.S. and worldwide.
Dong set up multiple LLCs in the U.S., including in Delaware, under the variation of the phrase ‘Hudson West,’ including one in which Dong and Hunter Biden were each 50 percent owners.
The bank records show that between 2017 and 2018, Hudson West sent over $4 million to Hunter Biden’s connected companies and $75,000 to James Biden’s entities.
In addition, Hunter Biden’s ‘personal entity’ of Owasco P.C. received $100,000 directly from CEFC Infrastructure in 2017.
Ian Sams, White House special assistant to the president and oversight spokesperson, blasted Comer in a statement ahead of the press conference calling out his ‘absurd’ attacks.
‘House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points,’ said Sams.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who is the ranking member on the Oversight Committee also slammed Republicans’ findings saying they failed to ‘provide factual evidence.’
‘He continues to bombard the public with innuendo, misrepresentations, and outright lies, recycling baseless claims from stories that were debunked years ago.’
The Republican-led committee is committed to creating ‘legislative solutions’ that would require more transparency into the vice president or president’s immediate family – specifically into ‘income, assets, and financial relationships’ – the memo states.
As part of pushing for more transparency, Republicans say there needs to be strengthening of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws.
The committee is still scrutinizing whether ethics and financial disclosure laws should require a public official to publicly disclose the identities of the 20companies created by the Biden family.
The Biden family corruption and influence peddling has benefitted at least 12 family members, Comer has said – and includes wires to some of Biden’s grandchildren, he confirmed Wednesday.
Additionally, Comer said Tuesday that he hopes DOJ will pay attention to the press conference and consider the information that he and his committee present.
Hunter Biden is facing federal tax and firearm charges out of a four-years-long probe by the Department of Justice.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-N.Y., questioned how the department’s probe is being conducted during the press conference.
“It’s interesting that the Department of Justice has been investigating Hunter Biden for quite some time. And we seem to just never really get anywhere. And so I think that’s also interesting as well. I wonder what’s going on in the Department of Justice,’ said Donalds.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., added: “DOJ needs to get off its ass and investigate. We’ve done the work for them so they can’t screw it up now.”
The investigation into the first son being led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware is reported to be close to wrapping up soon – which means charges may be imminent.
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