Witnesses Confirm Joe Biden’s Involvement in His Family’s Influence Peddling

WASHINGTON—At today’s House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office,” witnesses confirmed Joe Biden was involved with his family’s business dealings and their attempts to sell access to him.

Below is the transcript from Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis’s exchange with Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).

Chairman Comer: During the 118th Congress, the Oversight Committee has investigated Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s influence peddling around the world. So let’s start with that. Mr. Bobulinski, was Joe Biden involved with any of your business dealings with Hunter Biden and James Biden?

Mr. Bobulinski: Yes.

Chairman Comer: Was Joe Biden involved in his family’s attempts to sell their access to him?

Mr. Bobulinski: Yes.

Chairman Comer: You set out to form a legitimate business with the Bidens. Did you come to find out that the Biden family had no interest in doing real business?

Mr. Bobulinski: I did.

Chairman Comer:  Mr. Galanis, are you aware of any times Hunter Biden used Joe Biden—with Joe Biden’s knowledge—to benefit their business associates?

Mr. Galanis: Yes.   

Chairman Comer: Which business associates?

Mr. Galanis: Yelena Baturina, Russian oligarch. Chinese fund manager Henry Zhao. Mykola Zlochevsky, Ukrainian oligarch.

Chairman Comer: Now that we’ve established that Joe Biden was involved with his family’s business dealings, I’d like to turn to the financial records we’ve subpoenaed. One major point my Democrat colleagues downplay is how much money the Bidens accumulated from foreign business ventures in such a short period of time.  We’ve traced over $24 million dollars to the Biden family and their business associates from 2014 to 2019.

Mr. Bobulinski, there came a time when you were attempting to raise $10 million from the Chinese to pursue an actual business deal. But it wouldn’t be correct to say this was a “10 million dollar deal,” would it? What did the Bidens conceive of the business with the Chinese becoming?

Mr. Bobulinski: The Chinese were committing to deploying millions of dollars in infrastructure projects here in the United States and around the world.

Chairman Comer: Mr. Galanis, What was the financial goal you, Mr. Archer, and Hunter Biden set out to achieve? Was it millions of dollars? Or billions?

Mr. Galanis: Billions of dollars.   

Chairman Comer: Now I’d like to turn to some of the statements Joe Biden has made during his presidency about the findings of this investigation. Mr. Bobulinski, Joe Biden has said he never interacted with his family’s business associates. Did he meet with you?

Mr. Bobulinski: He did multiple times.

Chairman Comer: In fact, are you aware that Joe Biden met with Rob Walker, Eric Schwerin, and Devon Archer too?

Mr. Bobulinski: I am generally aware of it.  

Chairman Comer:  Mr. Galanis, as you discussed earlier, regarding Yelena Baturina, you were present for Hunter Biden calling his then-Vice President father with the Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina present, correct?

Mr. Galanis: That’s correct.

Chairman Comer:  You also were present for Hunter Biden’s conversation with his father about a board seat on a Chinese company board, correct?

Mr. Galanis: I was present for a call where Chinese transactions were discussed, yes.

Chairman Comer:  So Mr. Galanis, it wasn’t true when Joe Biden said he didn’t interact with his family’s business associates, was it?

Mr. Galanis: I believe that would be misleading to the point of an untruth. Chairman Comer:   Hunter Biden has chosen not to attend today’s proceedings. I have given Mr. Biden exactly what he asked for before his deposition.  It is clear that Hunter Biden knows his testimony would not withstand public scrutiny.  Joe Biden has not been truthful about his participation in schemes to sell access and influence, and today’s witnesses will show the American people a side of the story the President is so eager to hide.