Justice Department’s interest in Hunter Biden covered more than taxes
Federal prosecutors also have investigated foreign ties, possible money laundering.
The federal investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter has been more extensive than a statement from Hunter Biden indicates, according to a person with firsthand knowledge of the investigation. On Wednesday, Hunter Biden said he had been contacted about a tax investigation out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware. In addition to Delaware, the securities fraud unit in the Southern District of New York also scrutinized Hunter Biden’s finances, according to the person with direct knowledge of the investigation. The person said that, as of early last year, investigators in Delaware and Washington were also probing potential money laundering and Hunter Biden’s foreign ties. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. In addition to the probe into Hunter Biden, federal authorities in the Western District of Pennsylvania are conducting a criminal investigation of a hospital business in which Joe Biden’s brother James was involved. Federal officials have asked questions about James Biden's role in the business, according to a second person with direct knowledge of that investigation, who said it remains ongoing. There is no indication that Joe Biden himself is under investigation, but if the cases remain open when Joe Biden takes office, they could complicate his presidency, and shine an unflattering light on his relatives' dealings, which often seek to capitalize on the Biden family’s political connections. “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. Neither Biden’s transition nor George Mesires, a lawyer for Hunter and James Biden, immediately responded to requests for comment.
The Biden-Harris transition, which had previously denied any awareness of federal probes into Hunter’s business dealings, struck a defensive note in a statement accompanying Hunter’s. "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 transition team said in a statement. Earlier this month, Biden pledged that his relatives would avoid conflicts of interest. “My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict, with inappropriate distance from the presidency and government,” he said. But the existence of probes involving the president-elect’s son and a business with ties to his brother present a new set of challenges for the incoming administration.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/09/justice-department-interest-hunter-biden-taxes-444139