The documents come as the Republican-controlled House recently formalized its impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
New evidence has emerged of the Biden family’s alleged influence peddling and ethical lapses, according to records obtained by America First Legal (AFL) as part of its lawsuit against the National Archives and Records Administration.
The new records come amid AFL’s ongoing probe into the foreign business dealings of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, during the administration of President Barack Obama, when the elder Biden served as vice president.
During the Obama administration, the younger Biden was involved in planning for official state visits from countries such as China, Germany, and Turkey. The new documents suggest that the president’s son leveraged his involvement in such official engagements for personal gain and influenced his father’s meetings and calendar.
Among the new records are emails showing that then-Vice President Biden agreed to give a keynote speech at an event hosted by an organization whose board included Mr. Biden—who lobbied his father to accept the invitation via his scheduler in the office of the vice president.
Another newly revealed record shows that Mr. Biden sought to use the office of the vice president to provide a personal service to a former Rosemont Seneca business partner.
“These records confirm that there was no separation between Hunter’s private business dealings and the official business of the Obama-Biden White House and provide a window into the extent of Hunter’s influence in the Office of the Vice President,” AFL said in a statement.
Impeachment Backdrop
The documents come as the Republican-controlled House recently formalized its impeachment inquiry into President Biden after a probe turned up bank records revealing at least $20 million in payments from foreign entities to members of the president’s family and their business associates.
The payments, which came from such countries as Russia, China, Romania, and Ukraine, were found to have taken place during President Biden’s time as vice president and, in some cases, coincided with his trips to those countries.
Republicans have been trying to tie President Biden to his family’s business affairs, claiming that he lied when he denied any involvement.
By Tom Ozimek