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Pablo Martínez / AP
In 2014, Joe Biden was at the forefront of US diplomatic efforts to support Ukraine’s fragile democratic government as it sought to defend itself from Russian aggression and root out corruption. Eyebrows rose when Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, pictured, was hired by a Ukrainian gas company.
The US Justice Department investigation looking at Hunter Biden’s taxes has been examining some of his business dealings in China, among other financial transactions, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press this week.
The investigation began in 2018, a year before his father, Joe Biden, announced his candidacy for the presidency, but it is unclear which entities could be involved in the investigation. Hunter Biden has a history of international affairs and business in various countries.
The revelation puts renewed focus on questions about his financial dealings that haunted his father’s successful campaign in the White House.
Federal investigators served a round of subpoenas on Tuesday (local time), including that of Hunter Biden, according to another person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The tax investigation is focused on their businesses, the person said.
Investigators did not communicate in the weeks leading up to the election due to a Justice Department policy around the election that prohibits open acts of inquiry, one of the people said.
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In a statement released by the president-elect’s transition office, Hunter Biden said he learned of the investigation on Tuesday, but did not reveal details about what was being discussed.
“I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will show that I handled my affairs legally and properly, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers,” he said.
He has long been a target of President Donald Trump and his allies, who accused him of profiting from his political connections. Trump and his supporters also raised unfounded corruption charges related to Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine when his father was vice president and ran the Obama administration’s dealings with the Eastern European nation.
The disclosure of the federal investigation, led by the US attorney’s office in Delaware, comes at an uncomfortable time for the incoming president, who is assembling his cabinet. His election to attorney general could oversee the investigation into the new president’s son if it is still ongoing when Biden is sworn in on January 20.
The transition team said in a statement: “President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has overcome difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of the past months, only to emerge stronger.”
The investigation could also contribute to scrutiny of Biden’s handling of China. Trump took a hard line with China during the campaign when he tried to deflect blame for the coronavirus and accused Biden of being weak. Biden has rejected this, saying that unlike Trump, he would rebuild global coalitions to control China’s power.
Andrew Harnik / AP
Hunter, the son of President-elect Joe Biden, left, says he learned from federal prosecutors that his tax affairs are under investigation.
Biden’s youngest son has been embroiled in controversy before. While his father was vice president, Hunter joined the US Navy Reserve, only to be discharged after testing positive for cocaine in his system, which later revealed a years-long struggle with addiction.
He also joined the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma in 2014, raising concerns about perceptions of a conflict of interest given that the elder Biden was deeply involved in US policy toward Ukraine. A Republican-led Senate investigation did not identify any policies that were directly affected by Hunter Biden’s work.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Trump supporters used the existence of a laptop they said was connected to Hunter Biden, and the emergence of someone claiming he had business discussions with him, to raise questions about the knowledge. by Joe Biden on his son’s activities in Ukraine. and China. The president-elect has said that he did not discuss his son’s international business with him and has denied receiving money from a foreign country.
The laptop appeared publicly in October when The New York Post reported in emails that he said came from Hunter Biden’s laptop and said he received from Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney.
A third person familiar with the matter said the tax investigation has nothing to do with the laptop. Like the other people who spoke to the AP, the person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
In a CNN interview last week, President-elect Biden addressed the business dealings of his son Hunter and his brothers, promising that they would avoid any perceived conflict of interest during his tenure.
“My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any company that is in conflict or appears to be in conflict, where there is an adequate distance from the presidency and the government,” Biden said.
