House Republicans Seek Documents from Bribery Case Made against Hunter Biden’s Chinese Business Associate

Hunter Biden walks to the motorcade after arriving at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., July 4, 2023.

House Republicans are seeking documents from the Justice Department produced during the federal prosecution of Hunter Biden’s former Chinese business associate Patrick Ho.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.), Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R., Mo) wrote a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding specific documents from the Ho investigation.

“As part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry, the Committees have determined that there is a particular need to obtain certain materials the Department of Justice (DOJ) obtained during its investigation of Chi Ping ‘Patrick’ Ho — a close business associate of Hunter Biden,” the letter reads. Comer, Jordan, and Smith are leading the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, focused primarily on the president’s role in his son’s foreign business dealings.

Lawmakers have specifically requested an email sent to Ho by Serbian diplomat Vuk Jeremic, a former consultant for CEFC, related to his intentions to introduce a prominent individual to CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming. House Republicans believe the individual in question is Hunter Biden.

Ho wired Hunter Biden $1 million in March 2018 after the pair agreed for Hunter Biden to serve as his legal counsel. However, Hunter Biden does not appear to have performed any legal work on the Ho case, according to IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler. The payment from Ho is also listed in Hunter Biden’s failed plea agreement in Delaware with federal prosecutors.

Ho was sentenced in 2019 to three years in prison for his role in an international bribery scheme connected to Chinese conglomerate CEFC. His current whereabouts are unknown. Hunter Biden dealt extensively with CEFC during and after his father’s vice presidency, the lawmakers note.

In March 2017, CEFC-linked firm State Energy HK wired Hunter Biden’s business associate Rob Walker $3 million, and he proceeded to distribute roughly $1 million to bank accounts tied to Biden family members, bank records indicate.

Hunter and his uncle, James Biden, entered into a joint venture with CEFC called Hudson West III in August 2017, designed to facilitate the Chinese firm’s expansion into U.S. energy markets. All of the deals explored by Hunter and James Biden fell through, former business associate Mervyn Yan testified.

Hunter Biden invoked his father in a July 2017 text to a Chinese business associate prior to the finalization of Hudson West, IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley revealed in May during closed-door testimony to the Ways and Means Committee.

“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight,” Hunter Biden texted, according to Shapley.

“And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”

In September 2017, Joe Biden received a $40,000 check from his brother, James Biden, and sister-in-law Sara Biden, after a string of transactions involving funds from Hudson West III that were initially transferred into Hunter Biden’s Owasco P.C. account, bank records show. The

“As such, the Committees are requesting that you provide us with (1) the unredacted email between Vuk Jeremic and Patrick Ho regarding ‘an individual that Mr. Jeremic was willing to bring to a dinner with the chairman Mr. Ye,’ and (2) the contents of Patrick Ho’s seized iPad,” the letter concludes.

House Republicans cite the text message and Hunter Biden’s CEFC dealings to justify the documents request. Garland is being given until March 5th to turn over the records.

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