Weren't we just writing about perjury? Why yes, we were, in connection with Michael Cohen's apparent lie under oath in his anti-Trump testimony last week. Lying is what he does, of course. But on a separate matter, whistleblower-provided documents are now fueling new accusations that Hunter Biden -- the president's son -- lied at least three times during sworn Congressional testimony back in February. The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee lays out the evidence, which he says proves that the younger 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.”
Watch Rep. Jason Smith lay out the facts, piece by piece:
🧵Hunter Biden lied to Congress.
— Rep. Jason Smith (@RepJasonSmith) May 22, 2024
New evidence from IRS whistleblowers released by @WaysandMeansGOP reveal multiple instances where Hunter Biden lied during his congressional deposition in February.
WATCH🔽 pic.twitter.com/zXiS92Xrxb
From Smith's formal statement, an outline of the three apparent lies:
First, Hunter Biden lied about the recipient of a WhatsApp message sent with the apparent intention to threaten a business associate and demand payment. 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. Hunter claimed under oath that the recipient, quote “had no understanding or even remotely knew what…I was even…talking about.” However, phone records in front of the Committee today 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. For several months, the pair messaged back and forth on the same phone numbers, and ultimately an affiliate of CEFC, Raymond Zhao’s company, sent $5 million to Hunter Biden and his associates just days after Hunter’s threatening message. These documents make clear that Hunter Biden was using his father’s name to shake down a Chinese businessman – and it worked. And when confronted by Congressional investigators about it, he lied.
Second, Hunter Biden lied when he claimed he was not the corporate secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai and that the shell company he established with Devon Archer and its associated bank accounts were not under his control nor affiliated with him. The truth is in his own handwriting, and it is in front of our Committee today. On an official Rosemont Seneca Bohai document accepting yet another foreign payment, Hunter Biden wrote, ‘I, Robert Hunter Biden, hereby certify that I am the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC.’ The Committee has also obtained evidence that shows Hunter Biden was, in fact, the beneficial owner of a bank account in the name of Rosemont Seneca Bohai.
Third, Hunter Biden lied during his deposition when he said he never helped individuals obtain U.S. visas. The whistleblowers have provided an email to the Committee between Devon Archer, Hunter Biden, and Ukrainian associates in which Archer stated, ‘Hunter is checking with Miguel Aleman to see if he can provide cover to Kola on the visa.’ Kola, being the CEO of Burisma, Nikolay Zlochevsky and whose, the email also indicates, U.S. visa was revoked as there was concern about his foreign travel. These documents also confirm, again, that the IRS Whistleblowers have been telling the truth all along and include another example of the Department of Justice putting up roadblocks in this investigation.
All of these alleged lies are damaging. The first piece of evidence casts serious doubt on Hunter Biden's claims trying to distance himself from a (successful) multimillion-dollar shakedown of a Chinese energy company -- the same company involved in the infamous 'ten percent for the Big Guy' email involving Joe Biden. The third piece of evidence also lends significant credence to the accusation that Hunter Biden used his family's name and influence (for which he was lavishly compensated) to seek US visa-related favors on behalf of a Burisma executive. Biden said under oath that he wouldn't have done such a thing, but here's a message from a close business associate spelling out that the First Son was doing precisely that. It's possible that on the first alleged lie, Hunter might try to claim he was confused about exactly whom he was texting at time, though the additional context seems to make that highly unlikely.
On the third alleged lie, perhaps Hunter could contend that his business associate had misrepresented what Hunter was, or was not doing. Again, that's dubious, but it might be something of a shield against perjury. But the second lie looks like it's pretty cut-and-dried. Hunter Biden claimed that he was not the corporate secretary of an incriminating shell corporation, and that he didn't even know that such a position existed. But the committee, courtesy of the whistleblowers, has produced a document filled out by Biden, by hand, in which he attested to be "the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC." I'm hardly a legal expert, but this looks like a smoking gun:
Hunter Biden’s own handwriting proved it was a lie.
— Rep. Jason Smith (@RepJasonSmith) May 22, 2024
He signed a corporate document in 2014 affirming that he was the acting Secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai. pic.twitter.com/QPmExfZjrz
Meanwhile, on the subject of Hunter Biden, his trial on tax charges has been moved...to the middle of election season:
Hunter Biden tax trial postponed to September https://t.co/F4J3Zh9SN6
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 22, 2024
This delay was reportedly sought by the First Son's attorneys, but I'm not sure the timing can be overly thrilling to his father's campaign. Recall that there are tax charges against Hunter Biden (though the most serious alleged crimes were allowed to lapse by federal prosecutors), gun charges against Hunter Biden -- and based on the information above, one wonders if any perjury charges may follow.
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