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House investigators have released bank records that document how the Biden family and associates collected millions of dollars from Russian, Kazakh and Ukrainian oligarchs while Joseph R. Biden was serving as vice president.
The bank records, obtained by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and provided to The Washington Times, confirm testimony from two IRS whistleblowers and Biden associate Devon Archer that millions of dollars flowed to Hunter Biden around the time his father met with the oligarchs as vice president.
In total, the oversight committee has identified more than $20 million paid to Hunter Biden and his business associates. The money was distributed to 10 Biden family members, including President Biden’s grandchildren.
None of the money has been directly linked to President Biden, and he has denied knowledge or involvement in his son’s business deals.
House investigators said they have not yet subpoenaed Biden family bank records and plan to interview more witnesses to determine how closely President Biden was involved and whether national security was compromised.
SEE ALSO: Biden says it’s ‘not true’ that he sat in on Hunter’s business calls
“It appears no real services were provided other than access to the Biden network, including Joe Biden himself,” said House oversight committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican. “It’s clear Joe Biden knew about his son’s business dealings and allowed himself to be ‘the brand’ sold to enrich the Biden family while he was vice president of the United States.”
The bank records that Mr. Comer’s panel released document a $3.5 million payment from Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina to a shell company run by Hunter Biden and Archer.
Around the same time as the payment, Hunter Biden arranged for his father, then vice president, to have dinner at a Washington restaurant with Ms. Baturina and other foreign nationals. House investigators say Ms. Baturina was notably left off the Biden administration’s public sanctions list after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The records also document the $83,333 monthly payments that Archer and Hunter Biden received from serving on the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
Archer, who provided closed-door testimony last week, said Burisma hired him and Hunter Biden in part to help shake a public corruption investigation via the Biden “brand,” which he said was essentially Joseph R. Biden.
Burisma pressured Hunter Biden to solicit his father’s help to stop the investigation, said Archer, who is facing a year in prison on a separate tax fraud conviction. Archer said Hunter Biden called his father on behalf of Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky and another company executive.
Before his 2020 presidential campaign, the former vice president bragged about pushing out Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma, by threatening to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees.
House investigators said the bank records confirm that Archer and Hunter Biden were paid $6.5 million from Burisma.
The records also show a $142,300 payment from Kazakh oligarch Kenes Rakishev, which Archer said was for Hunter Biden to purchase a sports car.
Around the time of the payment, Mr. Rakishev attended a dinner with Vice President Biden arranged by Hunter Biden.
House investigators say Hunter Biden first met Mr. Rakishev in February 2014 at The Hay-Adams hotel in Washington. Archer received an email from Mr. Rakishev asking for then-Secretary of State John Kerry to visit Kazakhstan.
Archer replied: “If we have some business started as planned, I will ensure it’s planned soonest.”
Democrats have downplayed the findings and deny that any evidence directly links Hunter Biden’s deals to his father, despite Archer’s testimony that Vice President Biden called into roughly 20 business meetings his son was holding with associates from China and other countries.
The vice president did not talk business but called to say hello, Archer said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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