House lawmakers left a witness chair empty for President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, at a public hearing Wednesday featuring ex-business partners who detailed the president’s involvement in foreign business deals that netted the family and partners at least $24 million.
Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, who already testified in private depositions that Mr. Biden played a role in securing deals with partners in China and Russia, were central witnesses in a rare public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into the president.
Hunter Biden, who testified privately under subpoena a month ago, refused to attend.
Democrats invited Lev Parnas, a former associate of Trump ally Rudolph W. Giuliani who was sentenced to 20 months in prison for fraud.
Mr. Parnas has since disavowed his association with former President Donald Trump. The witness told lawmakers he was involved in digging up dirt on Mr. Biden on behalf of the former president while he was in office.
Mr. Bobulinski gave the panel details about Joe Biden’s involvement in business deals.
He said Mr. Biden sat with him for a 45-minute meeting at the Beverly Hilton late in the evening in May 2017 to discuss a potential deal with a Chinese energy company, CEFC, that yielded millions for the family.
Mr. Bobulinski said the Biden family made at least $9 million from the Chinese.
“An elderly man flew all the way across the country to sit with me for 45 minutes to an hour to discuss my background, the business we were doing with the Chinese, his family’s background,” Mr. Bobulinski testified.
He said it was “a thousand percent” true that Mr. Biden was “the big guy,” mentioned in text messages by business associates, one of which suggested holding 10% of the proceeds for Mr. Biden shortly after he left the vice presidency.
Mr. Galanis, now serving time for an unrelated securities fraud conviction, testified from prison.
He detailed Mr. Biden’s involvement with Yelena Baturina, a wealthy Russian real estate investor seeking a financial foothold in the U.S.
Hunter Biden rang his father on speakerphone from a restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, where he met with Ms. Baturina and her husband, a former mayor of Moscow, Mr. Galanis said.
“The discussion was about Yelena and Yuri coming to town, and [Joe Biden] talked about being ’good to his boy,’” Mr. Galanis said.
“To me, it was clearly set up ahead of time. It was an arranged call,” he added.
Hunter Biden, in the call to his father, referred to the two Russians as “our friends,” Mr. Galanis said.
Democrats accused the witnesses of lying and said the GOP has failed to produce any evidence of Joe Biden’s direct involvement in the business deals and that Mr. Parnas has provided information that should result in a third impeachment of ex-President Donald Trump.
“You’ve done nothing more than exonerate President Biden,” Rep. Stephen Lynch, Massachusetts Democrat, said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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