Joe Biden: Lawbreaker Or Law-Abiding Citizen?

Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has been at the centre of several controversies, including business dealings in Ukraine and China, which have raised questions about conflicts of interest and potential ethical breaches. While serving as Vice President, Joe Biden urged Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, threatening to withhold $1 billion in U.S. aid. This was done in the context of wider U.S. government and international efforts to combat corruption in Ukraine. Hunter Biden's involvement with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings and his business ties to China have been scrutinised, with allegations of influence-peddling and access-selling. Despite these controversies, no evidence has been found of Joe Biden breaking the law, and he has denied any wrongdoing. However, the situation has sparked debates about the ethics of such arrangements and their potential impact on public confidence.

Hunter Biden's laptop

In October 2020, a controversy arose involving data from a laptop that belonged to Hunter Biden, son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. The owner of a Delaware computer shop, John Paul Mac Isaac, stated that the laptop had been left in his shop by a man who identified himself as Hunter Biden. Mac Isaac also stated that he is legally blind and could not be sure whether the man was actually Hunter Biden.

Three weeks before the 2020 United States presidential election, the New York Post published a front-page story that presented emails from the laptop, alleging they showed corruption by Joe Biden and his son. According to the Post, the story was based on information provided to Rudy Giuliani, the personal attorney of incumbent president and candidate Donald Trump, by Mac Isaac. The FBI seized the laptop from Mac Isaac in December 2019, under the authority of a subpoena issued by a Wilmington grand jury.

Forensic analysis later authenticated some of the emails from the laptop, including one of the two emails used by the Post in their initial reporting. In June 2024, federal prosecutors used the laptop as evidence in a criminal case against Hunter Biden.

The media coverage of the laptop spurred speculation about the Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, which falsely alleged that then-vice president Joe Biden acted in Ukraine to protect his son from a corruption investigation. The New York Post published an article based on an email from the laptop about a purported meeting between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharskyi, an advisor to the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. The Biden campaign denied that such a meeting took place and stated that if they had ever met, it would have been a brief encounter.

The veracity of the Post's reporting was strongly questioned by many mainstream media outlets and analysts due to the unclear origin and chain of custody of the laptop and the provenance of its contents. There were also suspicions of Russian disinformation, given prior Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 election. Analysts also suspected Russian involvement in the 2017 leaks of emails involving French president Emmanuel Macron. Adding to these concerns, Giuliani had met with Andrii Derkach, later confirmed to be a Russian agent, while conducting opposition research against Joe Biden in Ukraine in 2019.

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, 51 former intelligence officials signed a public statement that the Hunter Biden laptop story had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation." However, the FBI stated that it had no indication that the allegations in the Post story were Russian disinformation.

The controversy surrounding Hunter Biden's laptop has sparked debates about the ethics and legality of his business dealings, particularly in Ukraine and China. While there is no evidence that Joe Biden broke the law, critics argue that Hunter Biden's activities created a conflict of interest for his father and that the Biden family profited from trading overseas on the Biden name.

Joe Biden's involvement with Ukraine

Hunter Biden's Role with Burisma:

Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden, held a directorship position with Burisma Holdings, Ukraine's largest private gas producer. This position raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest, given Joe Biden's role as Vice President and a key figure in US policy on Ukraine. Hunter Biden's acceptance of this role was widely seen as creating a conflict of interest for his father.

Joe Biden's Actions in Ukraine:

During his time as Vice President, Joe Biden travelled to Ukraine and played a pivotal role in urging the country to remove its prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin. Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in US loan guarantees if Ukraine did not fire Shokin, who was widely viewed as corrupt and ineffective in addressing corruption. This demand aligned with the broader US policy and the position of international institutions like the International Monetary Fund.

Allegations of Improper Motives:

The main allegation against Joe Biden is that he sought Shokin's dismissal to protect his son, Hunter, and to prevent an investigation into Burisma. This accusation was a central theme in Donald Trump's 2020 campaign, with Trump claiming that Biden "went to Ukraine and threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid" unless Shokin was fired. However, there is no evidence to support the idea that Joe Biden acted with his son's interests in mind or that Burisma would have benefited from Shokin's removal. In fact, Western leaders and institutions unanimously sought Shokin's removal due to his failure to aggressively prosecute corruption cases.

The Role of Russian Disinformation:

It is important to note that the Biden-Ukraine conspiracy theory was promoted by Russian intelligence operatives and their proxies. They coordinated with right-wing media and members of the Trump campaign, such as Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon, to spread misleading and unsubstantiated narratives about the Bidens. This effort was part of a broader Russian campaign to influence US elections and help Trump's candidacy.

Investigations and Conclusions:

Multiple investigations have been conducted into Joe Biden's involvement with Ukraine, including by Republican-controlled committees. A joint investigation by two Republican Senate committees found no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe Biden. Similarly, a sweeping Republican House committee investigation of the Biden family also found no wrongdoing. While there were concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest, the evidence suggests that Joe Biden's actions were in line with official US policy and not motivated by his son's business dealings.

Joe Biden's involvement with China

Business Dealings

During his time as Vice President, Joe Biden faced criticism for his son Hunter Biden's business activities in China. Hunter Biden had established business relationships with Chinese companies, including BHR Partners, a Chinese private equity firm. In 2013, while on an official visit to China, Joe Biden met some of Hunter Biden's Chinese business partners and introduced his son to then-Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao. This trip raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and influenced peddling.

Influence Peddling Allegations

There have been allegations that Hunter Biden's business dealings in China involved selling access to his father, who was Vice President at the time. Tony Bobulinski, a Biden family business associate, testified under oath that Joe Biden was aware of and participated in his family's influence peddling schemes. He claimed that Joe Biden met with business associates and helped close deals, including with Chinese entities. However, Hunter Biden and others involved have denied that business was discussed during these interactions.

National Security Concerns

Some critics have raised national security concerns regarding Hunter Biden's business activities in China. It has been alleged that his firm, backed by the Chinese government, invested in a company that was stealing nuclear secrets from the United States. Additionally, there are concerns about deals involving dual-use technologies and mineral resources, which could potentially benefit the Chinese military and their competition with the US.

Policy Implications

There have been questions about the impact of Hunter Biden's business dealings on Joe Biden's policy towards China. Critics argue that these deals occurred while Joe Biden was steering policy towards China and may have influenced his decisions. However, foreign policy experts counter that the Obama administration's policies towards China were not compromised and that there is no evidence of Joe Biden orchestrating or benefiting from these activities.

Pardoning of Hunter Biden

In 2024, Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for tax and gun crimes. This decision was controversial as Joe Biden had previously vowed not to pardon his son. The pardon shielded Hunter Biden from prosecution for any potential federal crimes committed between 2014 and 2024. Critics argued that this pardon was an abuse of power and reflected poorly on Joe Biden's ethics.

Joe Biden's involvement with Burisma Holdings

Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, joined the board of Burisma Holdings in April 2014. At the time, a news release from the company stated that Hunter would be "in charge of the Holdings' legal unit and will provide support for the Company among international organizations." However, Hunter told the New York Times that this news release was inaccurate and that he was never in charge of the company's legal affairs.

Hunter's role at Burisma was criticized by ethics watchdogs as a conflict of interest for his father, who was then the vice president and heavily involved in pressuring Ukraine to address corruption. Joe Biden was spearheading the Obama administration's efforts to pressure Ukraine to root out corruption, and there were concerns that Hunter's position at Burisma could influence US foreign policy.

In 2015, Ukraine's newly appointed prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, inherited investigations into Burisma's owner, Mykola Zlochevsky, and his company. Shokin was ousted as prosecutor in 2016, and there were allegations that Joe Biden had pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin by threatening to withhold $1 billion in US aid. However, there is no evidence that Joe Biden advocated for his son's interests, and it is unclear if the company benefited from Shokin's removal as the investigations into Burisma had reportedly been dormant.

In 2016, Hunter Biden contacted the US ambassador to Italy, John R. Phillips, seeking assistance for an energy project Burisma was pursuing in Italy. The project never materialized, and it is unclear if the US embassy provided any help. The White House has stated that Joe Biden was unaware of his son's outreach to the embassy on Burisma's behalf.

While Hunter's role at Burisma raised ethical concerns and led to criticism, there is no evidence of wrongdoing or illegal activity on the part of either Hunter or Joe Biden. Multiple witnesses in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump's conduct regarding Ukraine also stated that there was no evidence of illegal activity by the Bidens related to Burisma.

Joe Biden's influence on Hunter Biden's business dealings

Joe Biden's influence on his son Hunter Biden's business dealings has been a topic of scrutiny and controversy. While Biden has repeatedly denied any involvement in his son's business ventures, there is evidence to suggest that he had some level of influence and awareness of Hunter's activities. Here is an overview of the key points regarding this issue:

Ukraine Connection

Hunter Biden held a directorship position with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company, from 2014 to 2019. This position raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest, as Joe Biden was vice president and played a key role in US policy towards Ukraine at the time. In 2016, Joe Biden urged Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, threatening to withhold $1 billion in US aid. Shokin was investigating Burisma's owner, Mykola Zlochevsky, for corruption. Biden's actions fuelled speculation that he was seeking to protect his son's interests, despite no direct evidence supporting this claim.

China Connections

Hunter Biden was involved in business dealings with Chinese entities, particularly through Bohai Harvest RST (BHR), a company he helped establish. BHR had significant connections to the Chinese government and state-owned companies. Hunter's business activities in China coincided with his father's visits to the country and negotiations with Chinese officials. Photos also surfaced, showing Joe Biden meeting with Hunter's Chinese business associates, including introductions to Chinese President Xi Jinping and other high-ranking officials. These encounters contradicted Joe Biden's claims of having no discussions or involvement in his son's business dealings.

Pardon Controversy

In December 2024, Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter for any crimes potentially committed between 2014 and 2024. This pardon was controversial due to its breadth and timing, as it came just before Hunter's sentencing for multiple felony convictions on gun and tax charges. Critics argued that the pardon was an attempt to shield Hunter from accountability and protect Joe Biden himself from further scrutiny. The pardon raised questions about the Bidens' business dealings and the potential influence of their family connections on US foreign policy.

While there is no definitive proof of illegal activity, the connections between Hunter Biden's business ventures and Joe Biden's political career have sparked ongoing debates about ethical boundaries, conflicts of interest, and the potential blurring of public and private interests.

Frequently asked questions