A conservative legal group is requesting records from Hunter Biden’s pursuit of business deals in Louisiana alongside his Chinese business associates, the Daily Caller has learned.
The America First Legal Foundation (AFL) filed a Louisiana Public Records Act Request Tuesday demanding Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office hand over communications with Hunter Biden, his uncle James Biden and Joe Biden related to natural gas deals Hunter Biden sought for Chinese infrastructure firm CEFC through his Hudson West III joint venture with CEFC associate Gongwen Dong. (RELATED: Hunter Biden’s Drug Addiction Defense Shattered By New California Indictment)
AFL RECORDS REQUEST:
“In James Biden’s interview with federal investigators, he recalled that their Chinese business partners were looking for Liquified Natural Gas (‘LNG’) deals at the time,” the records request explains. AFL references an Oct. 29, 2017 email sent by Dong’s employee JiaQi Bao to Hunter Biden underscoring the value of the business deal.
“James Biden recalled to federal investigators that the Monkey Island deal involved an island about fifty to one hundred miles off the coast of Louisiana with a clear passage for loading and offloading LNG. James Biden also recalled talking with people in the Louisiana Governor’s Office regarding the permits and recalled that it was supposed to be on a fast track,” AFL continues, while noting the Louisiana expansion ultimately fell through.
Bel Edwards will be leaving the governor’s mansion in January, to be replaced by Republican Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
AFL’s records request includes any communications with Joe Biden’s apparent email aliases he used for government purposes while he was vice president. Email search metadata released on Dec. 5 by the House Ways and Means Committee shows he used one of the aliases to exchange over 50 one-on-one emails with Hunter Biden’s then-business associate Eric Schwerin.
James Biden interviewed with federal investigators in September 2022 as part of the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes and firearms possession, according to an interview memo released by the Ways and Means Committee about a year after the interview took place.
READ THE MEMO:
“James B recalled talking with appropriate people in the governor’s office regarding the permits and recalled that it was supposed to be on a fast track,” the memo reads. (RELATED: Hunter Biden’s Financial Backer Feared Political ‘Risk’ Caused By Delinquent Tax Returns, Docs Show)
“James B recalled that Chairman Ye was going to sign the deal, but then they ended up not signing. Again, James B stated that he didn’t know why they had backed out and that he wasn’t provided with an explanation. James B recalled asking RHB and he didn’t know why as well. James B recalled there being months and months of negotiations regarding Monkey Island.”
The interview memo is part of a trove of documents turned over to the Ways and Means Committee by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who was present at the James Biden interview. Both whistleblowers accused Department of Justice (DOJ) officials of giving Hunter Biden special treatment during the ongoing criminal investigation into his taxes and firearms possession.
AFL previously uncovered nearly 20,000 emails exchanged between Hunter Biden’s investment firm and then-Vice President Joe Biden’s office. (RELATED: National Archives Will Give Comer Access To Over 1,700 Emails From Joe Biden’s Vice Presidency)
“America First Legal’s hard-hitting oversight work has revealed extensive evidence of the Biden Family’s influence peddling and activities in support of their personal enrichment, even when it involved work on behalf of entities closely aligned with the Chinese Communist Party,” AFL Vice President and General Counsel Gene Hamilton said in a statement.
“We will continue to expose the publicly available evidence and present it to the American people to ensure accountability.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden hugs his wife Dr. Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after being sworn in as U.S. president during his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Chinese authorities arrested CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming on suspicion of bribery in 2018 and previously had links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the House Oversight Committee. Hunter Biden likened Jianming to CCP leader Xi Jinping when he introduced Jianming to his uncle, the interview memo states.
Hunter Biden admitted in July to partnering with Jianming on Hudson West III when U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Delaware Maryellen Noreika pressed him on the details of his guilty plea agreement that ended up falling apart. The guilty plea proposal indicates Hunter Biden hauled in just under $1 million from Hudson West III in 2017.
A federal grand jury in California indicted Hunter Biden on nine tax related offenses Thursday as part of special counsel David Weiss’ investigation into Hunter Biden. (RELATED: White House Reveals Whether Joe Biden Will Pardon Son Hunter In Light Of New Charges)
“Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought,” Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe D. Lowell said of the indictment.
The alleged special treatment described by the IRS whistleblowers occurred under Weiss’ watch as U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware prior to his special counsel designation. Both whistleblowers said in a statement the California indictment vindicated their testimony.
Hunter Biden made an estimated $2.3 million in 2017 and $2.1 million in 2018, in part from the money he received from his Chinese business associates, the indictment details.
He made more than $7 million from 2016-20 in total gross income.