The House Ways and Means Committee released a trove of new whistleblower documents Wednesday that the Republican chairman says prove Hunter Biden lied to Congress in February.
“For months, [Internal Revenue Service] whistleblowers have provided evidence to this Committee that gives us insight into a long-running Biden family influence-peddling scheme,” Smith said at the committee’s markup of the material Wednesday morning. “New documents provided by the whistleblowers show that Hunter Biden repeatedly lied to Congress in his February deposition to distance his involvement in what should be considered a clear scheme to enrich the Biden family.”
House lawmakers spent months reviewing the Biden family finances and interviews of business partners who corroborated claims of financial misconduct investigated by federal officials.
Last summer, a pair of IRS whistleblowers came forward to reveal how the Department of Justice (DOJ) interfered in the Hunter Biden probe by disrupting and delaying investigators. Whistleblowers say the DOJ thwarted investigative efforts, “slow-walked” cooperation with tax agents, and even concealed critical evidence implicating President Joe Biden in a criminal bribery scheme.
House investigators interviewed Hunter Biden himself as part of a presidential impeachment inquiry following the discovery of more than 20 shell companies established by the Biden family to funnel tens of millions of dollars from foreign oligarchs. Smith outlined three lies in particular Wednesday.
“First, Hunter Biden lied about the recipient of a WhatsApp message sent with the apparent intention to threaten a business associate and demand payment,” Smith explained.
In the message, Hunter Biden twice mentioned he was with his father. In the deposition, Hunter Biden sought to dismiss the message, claiming that he was either quote “high or drunk” when he sent it, and in that state, had sent it to the wrong Zhao, and not actually the one affiliated with the Chinese energy company, CEFC.
“Phone records in front of the Committee today,” Chairman Smith added, “show Hunter Biden sent the message to the correct Chinese businessman by the name of Raymond Zhao who not only was affiliated with CEFC, but knew exactly what Hunter Biden was talking about.”
Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., told The Federalist following Hunter Biden’s testimony that the president’s son often cited struggles with addiction to escape accountability.
“When we tried to get into details,” Hageman said, Biden responded with “‘Well, I don’t have a memory of that.’”
The second lie Smith referenced was when Hunter Biden denied he was the corporate secretary for the firm Rosemont Seneca Bohai.
“The truth is in his own handwriting, and it is in front of our Committee today,” Smith said. A document dated April 29, 2014, reads “I, Robert Hunter Biden, hereby certify that I am the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai LLC, a Corporation organized and existing under the Laws of the State of DE.”
“Third,” Smith said, “Hunter Biden lied during his deposition when he said he never helped individuals obtain U.S. visas.”
An email provided to the committee between Hunter Biden and Ukrainian business partners, however, reads, “Hunter is checking with Miguel Aleman to see if he can provide cover to Kola on the Visa.”
Kola was the “CEO of Burisma, Nikolay Zlochevsky,” Smith explained. The email also revealed that Zlochevsky’s “U.S. visa was revoked” because “there was concern about his foreign travel.”
House Republicans leading the Biden impeachment probe have indicated that they will pursue criminal referrals to the Department of Justice in lieu of formal articles of impeachment. Voters, however, will cast ballots in this year’s presidential rematch with far more information surrounding the Biden family business ventures than they did in 2020, when news related to the corruption scandals was suppressed by major online platforms.