Joe Biden's brother James reportedly received $780k from Chinese firm which also paid Hunter
The scandal surrounding Hunter Biden continues to grow, and on April 6, 2022, also dragged President Joe Biden's brother James into its muddy waters. A new report shared by Senator Chuck Grassley claims that James Biden received a $780,000 retainer from a Chinese firm linked to the Chinese Communist Party, while Hunter was paid $1.7 million in 2018.
The details, likely emerging from Hunter's "laptop from hell" are just the latest to link the President's family to China. In November 2021, documents showed Hunter was offered $10m a year for three years in 2017 by Ye Jianming for "introductions". Before that, in May, texts showed Hunter maintained a close personal relationship with JiaQi Bao, a Chinese secretary who worked with him. In January 2022, it was revealed Hunter invested in Harves Century Group, a firm with strong ties to the Chinese government.
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So far, the scandal has merely covered Hunter, with questions asked about how much Joe Biden knew, and when he knew it. The President has repeatedly claimed he had no knowledge of Hunter's business activities, but as we've reported on several occasions, that is clearly not the case. Now it appears another member of the Biden family is being dragged in - James Biden.
James Biden dragged into Chinese payments scandal
Speaking to CBS News, Sen. Grassley said, "We have people with the Biden name, dealing with Chinese business people that have a relationship to the Communist Party." He added, "I think James Biden was very much a part of this." Grassley claims to have obtained banking records linking James's company the Lion Hall Group to a "Chinese-financed consulting group." Grassley does not name the entity but says the payments were made in 2018, well before Joe announced his plans to run for President.
Reportedly, James received monthly retainers of $65,000, while Hunter was given a monthly retainer of $100,000, after a $500,000 one-time retainer. That amounts to $780,000 for James and $1.7m for Hunter. Grassley claims he received records straight from the bank where the Chinese firm did business, which was again not named. "These records we got are the first records that have ever been made public on this issue. Nobody else has them," Grassley claimed.
CBS also learned that US banks flagged at least 150 transactions from Hunter and James' businesses as "concerning". However, it is unclear what the reviews of those transactions revealed, and whether or not any action was taken. Back in September 2020, Senator Ron Johnson claimed James and his wife Sara tapped into a credit line Hunter set up with a Chinese business executive. The money was reportedly used to purchase airline tickets and hotels to the tune of $100,000.
The revelations come days after both Johnson and Grassley took to the Senate floor on March 30, to discuss the ongoing investigation into Hunter. "This isn’t Russian disinformation. These are hard facts backed up by bank records of actual financial transactions," Johnson claimed. During that debate, the two linked the Bidens to CEFC China Energy, a Chinese conglomerate founded by Ye Jianming. The issue is expected to become a key talking point for the GOP in the upcoming 2022 Senate midterms.