House investigators have released bank records that document how the Biden family and their associates collected millions of dollars from Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine 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 that 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 say 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 has been compromised.
“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 released by Mr. Comer’s panel 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, D.C., restaurant with Ms. Baturina and other foreign nationals. House investigators say Ms. Baturina was notably left off the Biden administration’s public sanctions list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The records also document the $83,333 monthly payments Archer and Hunter Biden received from serving on the board of the Ukraine energy firm Burisma.
Archer, who provided closed-door testimony last week, said Burisma hired them in part to help shake a public corruption probe 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 probe, according to 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.
Vice President Biden later bragged about pushing out Ukraine prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma, by threatening to withhold $1 billion in loans from the country.
House investigators said the bank records confirm 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.
Mr. Rakishev, around the same time of the payment, attended a dinner with Vice President Biden arranged by Hunter Biden.
House investigators say Hunter Biden first met Mr. Rakishev at The Hay-Adams hotel in Washington, D.C., in February 2014. Archer received at the time 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 said there is no evidence directly linking Hunter Biden’s deals to his father, despite Archer’s testimony that the elder Mr. Biden called in to roughly 20 business meetings Hunter was holding with associates from China and other countries.
The then-vice president did not talk business but just called to say hello, Archer said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.