Hunter Biden: My ‘Tax Affairs’ Under Investigation

Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden revealed Wednesday that his “tax affairs” are under investigation by federal prosecutors in Delaware.

“I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs. I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said in a statement released by the Biden Transition team.

Hunter did not reveal any other details regarding the probe.

CNN reported on Wednesday that it had contacted Hunter’s lawyer this week seeking comment about the investigation before Biden’s transition team released a joint statement from Biden and his son acknowledging the probe. According to their sources, federal authorities are actively investigating the business dealings of Hunter now that the election is over and are entering a “new phase.”

According to two people briefed on the probe, investigators have been examining multiple financial issues, including whether Hunter and his associates violated tax and money laundering laws in business dealings in foreign countries, principally China.

The investigation began as early as 2018 and some of those transactions involved people who the FBI believes sparked counterintelligence concerns. Investigators are focused on Hunter’s business activities connected to China. Some of his business dealings in China are publicly known through interviews and documents released in September by Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

After Biden left office in 2017, Hunter was working on securing a deal with CEFC China Energy to invest in US energy projects, according to the Senate report. One of the matters investigators have examined is a 2017 gift of a 2.8-carat diamond that Hunter Biden received from CEFC’s founder and former chairman Ye Jianming after a Miami business meeting.

During his divorce proceedings, attorneys for his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle cited a diamond that Hunter had received and suggested it was worth $80,000. Hunter told the New Yorker in an interview it was worth about $10,000. Publicly available documents show Hunter and his ex-wife had an Internal Revenue Service lien against them for taxes not paid, possibly including interest and penalties, totaling $112,805.09, until this past March. The documents, filed by the IRS, show the lien was placed in November 2019.

Separately, Hunter’s individual income tax liens were almost $453,890 that was placed on him by the District of Columbia on July 9, related to taxes owed for 2017 and 2018, according to a document on file in D.C. Recorder of Deeds Office. Those liens were canceled six days later, records show.

Receiving a gift of such value could have potential tax implications for Hunter with investigators looking into whether he properly reported the gift in his income for tax purposes as well as other gifts from the Chinese government over a period of time. While the diamond was initially part of the inquiry, it’s is unknown whether the gift remains the focal point for investigators.

The CEFC deal fell through, according to Hunter, and that he didn’t consider Ye to be a shady character. However, Chinese authorities later detained Ye, amid Chinese media reports of corruption allegations against him.

Hints of such investigation emerged after President Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani gave the New York Post in October a laptop that one time belongs to Hunter that included business documents as well as personal materials. The New York Post in their in-depth respectable coverage also reported that the FBI seized both a computer and a hard drive believed to be Hunter’s in December 2019, after the owner of a computer repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware, notified federal authorities he had possession of those items. Sinclair Broadcast Group reported in October that the FBI had opened a criminal investigation into Hunter.

The mainstream media refused to report on the laptop, with Twitter blocking sharing the content, hindering the American people from the truth that now is becoming widely reported.

U.S. Attorney for Delaware wouldn’t elaborate on the ongoing investigation.

“Per DOJ policy, we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation,” U.S. Attorney for Delaware spokeswoman Kim Reeves said in an email.

In the same statement, the Biden transition team released on behalf of Hunter also released one from Joe Biden.

“President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.”

The probe was disclosed five days before Biden is expected to be formally voted as the next president by the Electoral College.

2020Biden TransitionChinese GovernmentFBIHunter BidenJoe BidenLaptopNew York PostPresident TrumpRudy GiulianiSenate Homeland Security CommitteeTax Investigations